


Of Fragile Leaders and Terrorists

by Prettywitchiusaka



Category: Codename: Kids Next Door
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Gen, Humour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-20 23:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11931972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prettywitchiusaka/pseuds/Prettywitchiusaka
Summary: Originally written from June-August 2009.Rachel was always looked upon by her operatives as a good leader, in spite of her mistakes. One person however, is prepared to remove her from the title. It is now up to Rachel to stop him, but can she do that before she puts the KND in jeopardy?





	1. The Siege of Invasion

Bright, beautiful, engaging stars lit up the endless space sky around the young observer. A calm, gentle state of mind overtook her as she peacefull gazed at the stars zipping across her head, enlightened by their endless dance. Suddenly though, the sky turned blood red as the stars began to betray her, her mind now filled with fear as the constellations began to show her visions of her past. Visions filled with guilt, pain, and regret. her blunders, her mistakes, the inocent lives she foolishly put on the line, and ultimately...the questioning of her own leadership.

"Sir?", called a familiar British accented voice. "Sir? Sir!", the voice called once more. "Rachel, wake-up!"

Hearing those three words was enough to snap Kids Next Door Supreme leader Rachel, or Numbuh 362 out of her dream state and back to reality. Upon checking her surroundings, she came to realize that she sat perched atop her chair of MoonBase Zeros main bridge, causing the young blonde to sigh in releif that her vision was in reality only a nightmare.

"Welcome back to reality Numbuh 362", said the British accented voice which caused her to yelp in surprise. Upon turning around, the young blonde sighed in releif once more as she came to realize that the voice belonged to Nigel, or Numbuh 1, leader of Sector V.

"Are you alright?", he asked.

"Oh I'm fine Numbuh 1", she replied. "I just kind of fell into a daze is all. Thank you though."

"You're welcome", he replied in a calm tone.

"Now putting that aside, was there something you wanted me for?", she asked in a very sweet tone.

"Well", he began. "Numbuh 5 and I just finished installing that new computer software you wanted Numbuh 2 to build. We were wondering if you wanted to see how it worked."

"Oh of course, I'd love to", she replied.

" Alright then, let's go". he replied.

With that said, the young blonde nervously arose from her chair, only to be surprised by the sight of her friend holding his hand out to her.

"Need a hand", he asked smoothly, recalling from the 'Tag' incident her undeniable fear of heights.

"Sure...thanks", Rachel replied as she took his hand.

"Don't mention it", he replied.

With those words spoken, the British bald boy lead her towards the staircase. Once reaching the staircase, he let go of his friend's hand as they began to walk down and towards the main computer system. At that station sat Abigail Lincoln, or Numbuh 5, stealth spy and second-in-command of Sector V, who was waring out her patience by reading a girly magzine. Upon noticing both her sector leader and Supreme Leader walking her way, the spunky African-American quickly put the magazine down and got into a more suitable work position.

"Hey Numbuh 362", the spunky African-American replied.

"Hello Numbuh 5. Numbuh 1 has told me that the new software has been installed", replied the young Supreme Leader.

"Sure is. You want Numbuh 5 ta' give her da' tutorial boss?" she asked as she stretched her arms out.

"Yes Numbuh 5", the British bald boy sternly replied.

"Sure thang", she replied, pushing a small red button in the process.

Once that red button was pressed, the computer screen turned into a fancy KND desktop with the KND logo in the middle with various sector treehouses in orbit around it, something Rachel was very surprised by.

"So the small icon up here is fo' e-mail", replied the braided beauty. "So that way if you need ta' send an email to a sector or they need ta' send one to you, you can just click on the little S Letter icons and send it like a normal email.

And then there's the delete icon, which I'm sure you already know is fo'. This file is store top secret information, this one's to store any kind of villain plot you guys are aware of, and should ya' ever need ta' video phone any sectors, all ya' have ta' do is ta' click on one of these labeled treehouse icons right here.", she finished.

"Oh wow, this system is incredible!", the young blonde replied in an excited manner. "Thank you guys!"

"Aww, no problem", Abby replied in a cool tone. "But ya really should thank Numbuh 2, he is da' one who created da' system afterall."

"True, but you guys were the ones kind enough to install it", the young blonde replied.

"Ah, all in a days work", Nigel replied in a calm yet confident tone. "I just hope you guys will get a lot of use out of that system."

"Are you kidding?", she asked in a tone of disbeleif. "I wouldn't be surprised if Numbuh 65.3 tried to hog the main computer all the time as a result.'

"Numbuh 362!", yelled a loud, shrill, banshee-like Irish accented voice. Recognizing the voice to belong to Fanny, or Numbuh 86, the new Global Tactical Operative, Rachel turned to face her old friend atop the entrance steps, the usual sour-puss look clearly detailed on her freckled face.

"Yes Numbuh 86", the young blonde replied in a stern tone.

"Ye' have a last minute visitor from Arctic Base who needs te' speak to ye'", the Irish redhead replied in a stern, yet annoyed manner.

Upon those words being spoken, the visitor Fanny mentioned entered the room. A smile then came to Rachel's face as she recognized the visitor to be her old friend Patton, or Numbuh 60, Drill Sergeant Supreme of Kids Next Door Arctic Base. Once his entrance was official, the two operatives began to walk towards their Supreme Leader. But as they did, Patton could not help but clench his free hand into an angry fist as he noticed Rachel laughing at something Nigel was whispering into her ear. He let go of his anger however as he stopped to face his old friend and superior.

"Numbuh 60 reporting for duty sir!", he said, saluting his superior and friend.

"At ease Numbuh 60", she replied as he let his one arm go back down to his side. "Now what brings you to MoonBase Zero today?"

"I've completed the report on the prison escape from yesterday", he sternly replied as he handed the report to her.

"Excellent", she replied as she took the report into her own hands, beginning to skim through the stapled pieces of paper. " Have you been able to locate the perpetrator?"

"Not yet", he sternly replied. "My guess is that it's one of the prisoners that escaped."

" Are there any fugitives we should take cautionary measures on?", she asked in a stern yet concerned tone.

"I would say so, seeings as how most of the escapists were teens we arrested during the 'Treaty' incident and Numbuh 48Flavors. But I promise you that me and my team will have them back behind bars before they can attack the KND", he replied in a determined manner.

"Don't worry, I know you will", replied the young blonde, catching him off guard in the process.

"You do?", he asked.

"Yes, I do. Because I have faith in you Numbuh 60. You always complete your tasks, even if it's through some unorthodox manner I don't agree to", replied Rachel as a small smile surfaced onto her beautiful face.

"S-Sir...", the raven haired boy stuttered, blushing a light shade of pink in the process.

"I don't mean to nag you Numbuh 60, but don't you think it would have been easier to just fax the report up here?", asked a curious Nigel.

Hearing this statement however, caused Patton to snap out of his stunned state and turn to face his fellow operative, anger clearly detailed in his gentle black eyes. He then walked over to the British bald boy and began to stare at him, causing Nigel to become slightly uncomfortable.

"I'm on break and I thought it would be easier to talk to Numbuh 362 about this person", he stated in a stern tone. "Why?"

"Oh no reason", Nigel replied. "I was just-"

"You got a problem with that", he angrily asked.

"Uh,n-no I-"

"You you have some kind of problem with me?! Do you not want me up here or something!?", Patton angrily asked.

"No, but I think you have me confused with someone who hates your guts", the British bald boy replied in a slightly nervous manner.

"You can never be too sure!", the young Drill Sergeant replied. "So what is it!? Am I stepping in on your territory!? Am I-

"Numbuh 60! That's enough!", Rachel angrily shouted, placing her arms into a crossed position as she cut him off in mid-sentence.

"But sir-"

"Patton", she sternly replied, causing him to sigh in anger as he began to calm himself down, leaving Nigel slightly bewildered.  
Seeing this little scene however caused Abby to chuckle in slight amusement and Fanny to roll her eyes in utter disbelief, for they both knew the true reason behind his sudden outburst. After a long moment of awkward silence, Patton looked up to face his fellow operative once more, opening his mouth to speak as he did so.

" Sorry Numbuh 1", he sincerly stated in a calm sounding voice. "I guess I got carried away."

"Uh, that's okay...I think", the sector leader replied in a calm, yet annoyed tone.

"Thank you", the young Supreme Leader replied in a grateful tone. "Now aside from the report, was there anything else you wanted to see me about Numbuh 60?

"Well", the young Drill Sergeant replied as he cleared his throat, walking towards and stopping to stand in front of her. "I know you're probably busy, but I was wondering if-"

But just before Patton could finish his sentence, he was cut off by a loud, red emergency siren, alerting all operatives working on the bridge to an unknown threat.

"What's happening?", Rachel asked in a concerned tone as Herbie, or Numbuh 65.3 entered the room in a panicked state.

"Sir, we're under attack!", he said in a panicked tone.

"Who's attacking us?", Nigel asked in a stern yet powerful tone.

"It's the teens", the nerdy boy replied in a fearful tone.

"Again!?", the sector leader replied in a surprised tone.

"What do they want from us this time?", asked Abby.

"I don't know, but we need to take evasive action immediately", the young blonde replied sternly, preparing a plan as they spoke. "Numbuhs 60 and 86, round up all the operatives you can find and begin strategerizing a coordinated strike against the teens. Numbuhs 1 and 5, you stay here and protect the area from any invading teens nearby".

"But Rachel, what about the rest of my team?, Nigel asked in a slightly angered tone.

"They can fend for themselves Nigel. But for now, I need you and Numbuh 5 to stay here as ordered. Understood?", she asked in a calm yet stern manner.

Realizing that she had a point, the British bald boy simply nodded his head in agreement. But seeing this however, only caused Patton to fume up in anger once more towards the bald sector leader. He put his anger aside however as Rachel opened her mouth to speak once more.

"Alright then, everyone clear on what they have to do?", she asked.

"Yes sir!", her four operatives replied in a stern manner.

"Very well", the young blonde replied in a stern tone. "Kids Next-"

But before Rachel could finish, she was cut off by the sound of the bridge door being blasted open. Once the smoke cleared, the five operatives looked up to see an army of teen ninjas littered all over the stairs, thingyy smirks covering each of their faces. In the center of the army though stood one of their leaders, a sunglass wearing brown haired teen named Steve.  
" Hello dudes and dudettes!", Steve said aloud in a thingyy tone.

"Oh no, not this jerk again", replied both the young Drill Sergeant and Supreme Leader in unison as they began to recall the teens bacl-stabbing, jackass like nature.

"Ah Sir, shouldn't we be-", Fanny began to ask.

"Right", the young blonde immediately replied.

"Kids Next Door, Battlestations!", she cried, beginning the battle of teens vs. kids.

End chap.1


	2. Alpha

An hour or so after the battle's finish, hammering and buzzsawing could be clearly heard throughout the bridge as operatives began to repair the damage done by the teens. Elsewhere near the computer station, Rachel, Nigel and Abby all stood there, conversing their most recent encounter with the teens.

"Man, those teens sure put up a fight", Abby commented as she stretched out her back, Rachel nodding in agreement.

"Yeah", Nigel chimmed in suspiciously. "But didn't you find it odd that-"

The Sector leaders sentence however was abruptly cut off by the sound of two loud voices entering the room. Turning around, the three friends came to witness both Fanny and Patton coming down the stairs, bickering like no tomorrow. Sighing, Rachel crossed her arms as her two friends came to stand in front of her, the bickering immediately ending as they did.

"So, I assume you have a report, or is that arguing what you two would call flirting", she asked sarcastically.

"Well everythin' was going fine until freezer boy started shootin' wildly into the air at the teens" Fanny shouted angrily.

"We were cornered and to take abvasive action! Besides, you would've done the same thing if you were in my shoes", Patton angrily replied back.

"No I wouldn't", she barked back.

"Just admit it, I was right", he barked back.

"Fine! I was right", she replied.

"Thanks. I was right, wasn't I" he replied in a devious tone, the smirk on his face only agrivating the Irish redhead once more.

"Why you little-", she began to hiss as she went to grab his neck.

"Anyway", he said as he walked over to his superior. "Are you alright Rachel?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine", the young blonde replied sweetly.

"You're sure?", he asked in a concerned tone.

"Yes", she replied in a slightly annoyed tone.  
"But what if-"

"Just relax Patton, I'm fine. You worry way too much about me", sh replied as a devious smirk apperared on her face, causing the young Drill Sergeant to blush in emberassment.

As this little scene played out, Nigel and Abby could not help but look at each other with looks of amusement and disbelief as Fanny slapped her hand to her forehead in annoyance. Suddenly though, the doors opened once more. Turning around, the British bald boy and the spunky African-American sighed in releif upon seeing the rest of their team walking down the stairs in a hurry. Those teammates were Hoagie P. Gilligan Jr., or Numbuh 2, scientist and pilot of Sector V, and Kuki Sanban, or Numbuh 3, nurse and distractionist of Sector V. Followed by them were Wallabee Beatles, or Numbuh 4, hand-to-hand combatanist of Sector V, and Alex Dawson, or Numbuh 273, mutant of Sector V. Once down the stairs, the four friends quickly ran over to the small group of five in a worried fashion.

"Oh, thank goodness you guys are okay!", replied Kuki as she mauled Abby.

"I agree with Kuki-chan. I'm so glad you guys are okay", Alex replied in a releived tone. "Except for you freezer boy", the mutant brunette stated, her voice immediately switching from a releived tone to a bitter tone.

"The feeling's mutual",, the raven haired boy replied in the same bitter tone.

"Aside from that, I'm glad to know that you guys are okay", replied the British bald boy.

"Ah don't worry Numbuh 1, we're okay", Hoagie replied chipperly. "But man, you should have seen the fight! First I punched them, then I whacked them, then I-"

"Two-Seventy-Three just put up her guard sheild, didn't she?", Wallly asked in a suspicious tone.

"Welll...yeah", the plump pilot replied. "But if she hadn't, I would've punched them, and then I woul've whacked them", he continued as both Nigel and Wally sighed in annoyance.

"Well getting past that, 86-chan, are you alright?", Alex asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine, and don't call me that", the Irish redhead barked at her 'friend'.

"Rachel-san?"

"I'm okay", the young blonde replied.

"Abby-sama, are you okay?", the mutant brunette asked as she took the braided beautys hands into her own, her brown eyes now shaped like big, bulgy, anime puppy dog eyes.

"Relax girl, Numbuh 5's fine", the spunky African-American replied calmly.

"Are you sure?", her hyperactive friend asked. "Because if not, I can help. I can make you food, I can comfort you, I can-"

"She's fine!", the seven friends replied in an annoyed manner.

"Alright, sheesh", Alex replied in a sassy tone as she let go of her friends hands.

"Man, that was some fight though, huh?", Hoagie asked in a tone of disbelief.

"It was, but didn't you guys find it odd that they'd just attack at random?", Nigel asked suspiciously.

"Come to think of it...I did", replied the young Supreme Leader in a suspicious tone.  
"Me too", the young Drill Sergeant replied in a smimilar tone.

"What do you think they wanted", Wally asked in a curious tone.

"I'm not sure, but they obviously wanted something", Rachel replied as she cuffed her chin in suspicion, trying to analyze what they could've possibly wanted.

"Well maybe they didn't want something. maybe they just wanted to bug us", Kuki replied calmly.

"I don't know Numbuh 3. The teens actions are more coarse, but just like Father they always have a reason behind what they do", Patton sternly replied.

"Maybe they wanted something you're keeping top secret", Nigel suggested.

"Impossible. There's nothing we're keeping under lock and key right now", Rachel replied calmly.

"You sure about that girl?", Abby asked, thingying an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Positive", the young blonde replied. "Unless of course", she began to say as she turned towards her Irish friend with a look of suspicion.

"Hey don't look at me. I learned my lesson from the last time", Fanny remarked in a slightly annoyed tone, recalling the time she had not told anyone that the Recomissioning Moduel was still operational.

As the conversation progressed, Alex walked over towards the computer system, beginning to throughly examine the mahcine as she began to move her hand across the keyboard in hopes of getting a vision. A unique gift bestowed on her in addition to her telekinisis was the gift of foresight, which had recently grown in power to show her not only visions of the past, but also visions in her sleep. The mutant brunette sighed in disappointment, upset that visions had come to her. But upon touching the monitor screen with her hand, she suddenly felt a a giant shockwave come over her body.

Shortly afterwards. Alex found herself floating in some sort of abyss, her body feeling as light as air as it continued to fall into nothingness. "Where...am I?", she thought to herself as she opened her brown eyes, beginning to take in her surroundings. Upon opening her eyes completely, she came to face a monitor errily close to the one on the bridge. Standing herself up straight, the mutant brunette them became confused as to what appeard on screen. What appeared on screen was the image of a stern looking boy around her age dressed in gold and purple, a light purple scarf covered his mouth and a black and blue mask covered his eyes.

"Good day Kids Next Door operatives. Since I am inclined to keep my identity a secret, I shall be known to all of you as Alpha", the boy replied sternly.

"Alpha?", Alex thought to herself as she stared at the boy, frightened by the aura she sensed from him.

Suddenly though, Alex woke up to find herself in Abby's arms, she and everyonelse had concerned looks on their faces as they eyed her.

"Hey girl, you alright?", Abby replied in a concerned tone.

"Daijoubu", she replied calmly, all the while muttering the phrase for 'I'm alright' in Japanese.

"What did you see", Rachel asked in a curious manner.

"I saw a monitor screen", she began as she sat herself up. 'And on that monmitor screen I saw a boy about our age dressed in gold and purple.  
"Did he have a name?", Nigel asked suspiciously.

"Yeah...he called himself Alpha", she said.

"Alpha..., Rachel replied, interested by merely just the boy's name. Suddenly though, she heard a panicky voice ring through her ears only a few seconds later.

"Sir! All Kids Next Door computer systems have gone offline!", Herbie shouted in a panicky tone.

"What!? How is that possible", Rachel asked in a tone of panic and disbelief.

"I don't know", Herbie replied in a similar tone.

Suddenly though, the blank monitor screen returned, playing the image of a boy wearing gold and purple. The image caused much confusion amongst operatives present on the bridge, with the exception of Rachel and her small group, who recognized the image described to them from their friends vision. Alex in particular was stunned as she clamped her mouth to her hand , a mix of disbelief and horror clearly detailed in her brown eyes as she did so.

"I'm gonna take it that's da' guy you saw", the braided beauty asked in a suspicious tone as Alex nodded her head.

"That's him...that's Alpha...", the mutant brunette replied in a frightened, almost whispered tone.

"Good day Kids Next Door operatives. Since I am inclined to keep my identity a secret, I shall be known to all of you as Alpha", the boy replied sternly, causing all operatives present in the room to stare at the screen in curiosity.

"As of now, I'm certain all of you are wondering why it is that I've hacked your system? Well to answer that question, I called here to inform you of the teen attack quite recently. You see, the thing is...I sent them to attack you", he replied in an arrogant tone that caused a stir of surprise from all operatives present in the room.

"Yes...I pretended to be Father, and sent them up here to cause mischief. Not because I wanted something, but so I could use them as a warning. Not to the organization as a whole, but to one person in particular. And that would be your dear Supreme Leader miss Rachel McKenzie, Numbuh 362", he replied in a stern tone that caused the young blonde and everyone else( particularly Fanny, Patton, and Sector V) to gasp in shock.

"Now I'm sure some of you might feel that this is merely because I don't like a girl in the role of Supreme Leader. But believe me, it goes beyond that", he continued in a bitter tone.

"It's not to much that you're female, it's what you've done that's angered me enough to take action. Your mistakes and pacifistic views have cost this organization its reputation and even its very existence on several occasions. In fact, with the way you run it, I'm surprised it's still standing", he continued.

"I can't sit idly by and let this continue anymore. But instead of attacking you, I've decided to start you off with a warning Numbuh 362. Either step down from your title and return to being a spy, or else...That is all", he finished as the transmission ended.

Once the transmission ended, many operatives in the room began to chat in a panicked tone, all of them in shock of what they'd just seen and heard. As this went on, Rachel continued to stand there in shock as she began to absorb everything that had just been said to her, her beautiful face switching from a look of shock to a look of stern determination as she did so.

"That bastard", Nigel replied as he watched this scene unfold, anger clearly detailed on both his handsome face and in his British accented voice.  
"I know...he's such a tacky dresser", Kuki replied in a sassy tone that caused the rest of Sector V to stare at the little Asian girl with looks of complete anger and disbelief. "What?"

"Sir", Patton said in a determined tone. "Let me and my team take him on. We'll have this jerk hunted down and arrested faster than you can say-"

"You will do no such thing", the young blonde replied bluntly, causing the young Drill Sergeant to stare in complete shock. "But Sir-"

"I said you will do no such thing Numbuh 60, is that clear", she sternly asked as she turned her head to slightly face his gaze, watching him sigh in disappointment after a short moment of silence.

"Yes Sir", he said in a disappointed tone.

"Sir...what are we goin' te' do", Fanny asked as she stared at her leader, concern clearly visible in her voice as she did so.

"Call a meeting", the young Supreme Leader replied in a stern tone that surprised her small group. "I want every Kids Next Door operative at the Super Convention Center in 0500 hours...all of you must be aware of the plan of action I've decided to take for this situation."

End chap.2


	3. Relentless Determination

On the one hand, the Kids Next Door Super Convention Center in the heart of Manhattan was a place where large events too big for Global Command to host took place. But on the other hand, it was also a place where important meetings and announcements were communicated to operatives worldwide. It served its second purpose today, for as per Rachel's request, every known Kids Next Door operative stood present in attendance for the meeting she'd called. As they patiently awaited for the meeting to begin, many operatives began chatting with their friends, curious as to what their leader had called them all here for. But none however, were as curious as the six operatives of Sector V.

"Amazing", Hoagie said in a slightly calculating manner. "A few hours have passed and everyone's still talking about that Alpha guy."

"Well of course Numbuh 2", the arm crossed Nigel replied in a stern tone. "He hacked all Kids Next Door communication devices and threatened Numbuh 362. Someone like that would only cause a stir amongst us."

"Yeah...", the arm crossed Abby replied. "But it does make ya' wonder what kind a' plan she's gonna' enact."

"Oh, I sure hope she doesn't decide to fight him on her own", Kuki replied in a concerned tone.

"I hope not either, but you know how Rachel-san is", Alex calmly replied.

"Don't worry Kuki, I'm sure she's plannin' a full on nuclear cheese strike on him", Wally replied in a confident tone.

"You really think so", the little Asian girl asked as she turned to look at her friend and secret crush.

" Of course. Numbuh 362 can't be entirely pacifier, so it only makes sense", the Australian blonde replied in the same confident tone.

"Right", the spunky African-American replied in a sarcastic tone. " Well, knowin' Numbuh 362 she probably wouldn't want ta' solve thangs' peacefully."

"Exactly", Wally replied in a tone that caused Abby to slap her hand to her forehead, and Kuki to giggle at his response.

"You know I've been thinking, what if he doesn't mean anything by this", Hoagie stated.

"What do you mean", Nigel asked in a calm tone.

"Well maybe he doesn't mean anything by it. Maybe it's just a joke", his plump friend replied.

"No Hoagie-kun...he was serious", the mutant brunette replied in a rather blunt tone.

"How do you know that?", the plump pilot asked.

"Yeah, how do you know that Two-Seventy-Three", the short Aussie asked.

"Well...in truth I don't", she confessed. "My Aura Compability powers have never been able to sense the auras of objects and people past physical reality, but from the stern and hate-filled tone in his voice, he seems dead serious in his intent."

"Well serious or not, we're going to protect our leader and friend...no matter the cost", the British bald boy replied in a stern tone that caused his friends to nod in agreement.

"Kids Next Door, attention!", Fanny screamed in her shrill voice, alerting everyone's attention to the small stage as a small platform carried up a stern looking Rachel.

"Kids Next Door rules!", she cried out to the operatives in the audience.

"Kids Next Door rules Sir!", the operatives cried back to her.

"At ease everyone", she replied as she walked over to the small pedestal in the middle of the stage, preparing to make her announcement. "As all of you know, a kid our age hacked into our communications system to send out his message, a message of terror. This message was sent out by one only known as Alpha. We know nothing about him with two exceptions. One is that he is a terrorist, the other is that he wants me out of the title of Supreme Leader."

"Obviously I can't give into his demands, but at the same time I can't risk the safety of this organization. For if there's one thing Alpha has shown us, it's that he won't give up. And so my fellow operatives, that is why I have devised this plan."

"You mean we're going to enact biological warfare on him", Numbuh 74.239 asked in an excited tone.

"Are we going to blow up his base", Virginia, or Numbuh 23 asked excitedly.

"Are we going to crash one of our ships into his base", Numbuh 20,000 asked rather enthusiastically, causing all operatives near him to stare at him in a frightened manner.

"No...you will do nothing...I will be the one to fight him", she replied in a stern tone that caused everyone( particularly Fanny, Patton and Sector V) to gasp in utter shock.

"That's right, I will face-off with him on my own. This might seem unnecessary to all of you, but you must understand where I'm coming from with this. Alpha has made it clear that he doesn't have a problem with the Kids Next Door, just me and how I run the Kids Next Door. Therefore, it makes sense that only I deal with him personally."

But upon finishing her speech, operatives of all kind began to shout at her, throwing her way offers of help or ideas they could give her in order to help her succeed. None of them were adamant about their leader being so selfless, and as a result they couldn't bear the idea of her sacrificing herself this way. But as the requests continued on and on, Rachel could feel herself losing her patience. As a result, she finally opened her mouth to speak once more.

"Quiet", the young blonde angrily shouted out to the crowd, silencing them at once."Look, I appreciate all of your desires to help. But I'm the one he wants, and as a result, this must be my fight only. I'm sorry none of you agree to that, but I can't risk the safety of any of my operatives."

"Meeting adjourned", she sternly stated, turning to face an unresponsive Fanny upon hearing no response.

"Numbuh 86", she said angrily, the tensity in her voice snapping her out of her unresponsive state.

"O-oh, right", she said in a slightly startled tone. "Kids Next Door, dismissed!"

"Kids Next Door rules", the operatives replied rather reluctantly.

...  
Shortly after the meeting had ended, Rachel conmtinued her walk down towards the Convention Center docking bay, a stern look present on her beautiful face as she did so. But inspite of this, deep in her thoughts she could not help but think and be saddened by the scene from earlier. She knew very well that her operatives cared about her, and were determined to help her win this battle. But inspite of appreciating their efforts, it was not enough to make her change her mind about the current situation.

"How brave of you to take him on by yourself. But can you really?", asked a voice that caused the young blonde to yelp in surprise.

While catching her breath, she turned to face a figue appearing from out of the shadows, that firgure being none other than a stern looking Patton.

"Must you always scare the crap out of me", Rachel asked in an angry tone.

"Well", he began in a devious tone. "I will admit that I get a kick out of playfully teasing you. But that's besides the point", he ended in a serious tone.

"What do you want?", she asked in a stern tone. "To give me a proposition?"

"Not a proposition, but more so an observation", he replied.

"An observation?", she asked rather confused.

"Yes", he said.

"What for?", she asked.

"Well to be honest, I know you pretty well Rachel", he began. "You're quite strong both physically and mentally. A fiery soul who is brave and won't give up even when there's no hope left. And yet at the same time...you're quite fragile. You can be a little too soft on people every now and then, and even too selfless at times."

"What's your point?", the young blonde asked.

"My point is that you can't face this guy alone", Patton stated in a stern manner.

"Oh really, and why not?", she asked in a tone of disbelief.

"Because for all we know he might want you dead instead of just out of your position", he angrily replied.

"That's a risk I'll have to take. But I in no way intend to risk the lives of my own operatives", Rachel sternly replied.

"While I respect your selflessness, taking down a terrorist is not a one man job", Patton said in an angry tone.

"So you're suggesting I let this organization suffer along with me", she asked angrily.

"What I'm saying is that you should at least have the help of one other operative to take him down, and I'd be more than willing to help", the young Drill Sergeant replied in a determined tone.

"I can't let you do that", the young blonde angrily replied.

"Why not!?", he asked.

"Because", she began in an angry tone, clearing her throat in the process. "Because this is my fight", she replied calmly, her response causing Patton to stare at her in shock and defeat.

"But Sir-"

"Listen", she began by cutting him off. "I appreciate you concern and determination Patton, but I must fight this battle alone. Besides...I won't forgive myself if one of my operatives is hurt because of me, and I'd rather not have this end in bloodshed. And so I ask you this as both your friend and superior...don't get yourself involved", she replied in a stern yet clam tone.

Having said her piece, the young blonde walked past her surprised friend and continued her walk down to the docking bay. But as she continued to walk down the corridor, Patton did nothing but stare back at her, determination clear on his handsome face as he did so.

End chap. 3


	4. Disappointment

Two hours or so afterwards, all time seemed to have slowed down on MoonBase Zero. This however was not too surprising, for it was midday afternoon on Global Command. A time when the workload began to slow down, and operatives began to start packing it in for the night. This however, was not the case for Rachel and Fanny, who were now making their midday check up of the base, disagreeing over how to handle a certain situation as usual.

"But Sir", the Irish redhead said in a rather whiny tone. "They captured the wrong fugitive! Why should we let those stupid boys off so easily!?"

"Because they've seen the error of their ways and are determined to capture the correct one", the young blonde replied in a stern tone.

"But it's inexcusable!", Fanny replied.

"It may be inexcusable, but don't you think it's better to let them learn from their mistakes so that it helps them become better operatives in the future?", she asked in a stern tone that caused her friend to stare in shock yet sigh in annoyance.

"You're too fair Sir", Fanny replied in a calm tone that caused her friend to release a small chuckle.

"All leaders must be fair towards those who work under them Numbuh 86, for if any said leader were to act in a tyrannical manner and rule with an iron fist, there would be no fairness. This would only lead to the underlings to rebel in fair retaliation, since fair compensation has not been granted to them."

As that was said, a moment of silence broke out between the two female operatives. As this continued, Fanny began to process in her head what she wanted to say to her friend. Or rather...what she had wanted to tell her since early that afternoon. But as the words began to process, the Irish redhead could feel herself beginning to feel jittery, like butterflies were roaming around in her stomach. She immediately understood what this feeling was, nervousness, nervousness that her friend would reject what she was about to say. In spite of understanding this, she shrugged the feeling off as best she could and opened her mouth to speak.

"You know Sir...you're right", the Irish redhead replied, a nervous tone clearly obvious in her voice as she spoke. "But...fair leaders also deserve fair compensation. And protection when threatened. After all...they are vital components to-"

"Oh no, not you too", Rachel said in an annoyed tone, realizing immediately where this conversation was heading. "Let me guess, you want to throw a proposal at me?

"No, I just want permission to be your personal body guard until we-"

"Permission denied Numbuh 86", the young blonde angrily replied as she continued to walk down the corridor.

"Denied", Fanny screeched, continuing to walk alongside her friend. "Just like that!?"

"You know very well I won't endanger the lives of my operatives", the young blonde sternly replied.

"But ye' can't fight this guy alone", the Irish redhead protested.

"Funny, you sound like Patton", the young Supreme Leader replied in a sarcastic tone.  
"Well as much as I hate to admit it, he's right. This Alpha guy may very well kill ye' if ye' act on yer' own!" Fanny angrily replied.

"That's a risk I'll have to take. But whether you agree with me or not, you will obey my order and stay out of this!", Rachel angrily replied, her words causing her Irish friend to stop dead in her tracks as she(Rachel) pressed on through the corridor.

"No", Fanny angrily answered, causing her blonde friend to stop and stare at her both shocked and anger.

"You're defying my direct order?!", Rachel asked in an angry tone, annoyed by her friend's rebellious nature at this point.

"That's right. I'm not listenin' to yer' orders this time. I'll protect ya', no matter the cost", she yelled in a firm yet determined manner.

"Oh really? And what makes you think you can ignore direct orders!? Is it because of your position!?, the young blonde asked as pure anger clearly poured out from her voice.

"That's not it!", her friend barked back.

"Then what is it!?", her blonde friend barked back.

"It's because I refuse to let someone I care about sacrifice themselves so stupidly", Fanny screamed at the top of her lungs.

Upon hearing that sentence, Rachel just stood there silently at the obviously angered Global Tactical Operative. Her beautiful chocolate brown eyes clearly defined her reaction as shock and surprise, proving that her friend's words had gotten to her. Her shock only continued as the Irish redhead opened her mouth to speak once more.

"That's right!", she yelled. "Contrary to what you and half this organization thinks, I have feelin's! I care about other people, otherwise I wouldn't even be in this organization in the first place! I know I'm ruthless and mean-spirited like me' father! In fact, I know that's why almost everyone hates me! But just because I hate the guts of most operatives in this organization doesn't mean I don't care!"

She said as she stopped to catch her breath, her friend continuing to stare at her in pure shock as she did. After a small moment of nothing but silent breathing, the Irish redhead opened her mouth to speak once more, a look of disappointment clear in her emerald green eyes as she did so.

"Rachel", she began in a whispered yet sad sounding tone. "I adore you...you're me idol...and me best friend...I wish I were more like you...I mean I practically worship the ground you walk on as if you were some sort of great god...And all because I think yer' an amazin', wonderful person...Which is why unlike the 'Zero' incident, I will be disobeyin' yer' orders this time...because I won't let someone I love die just because of some stupid boy..."

Upon finishing her speech, the Irish redhead tilted her head in sorrow as a small tear began to form in her eye, signifying her feelings towards her friends decision. By this point, Rachel had gotten over the shock of what Fanny had said, and was now incredibly touched by her friends words and deceleration. Deciding to show her gratitude, she put her hand on her friends shoulder, which immediately caused Fanny to shoot her head up and face her friend smiling at her sweetly.

"I love you too Fanny...as a friend of course...and that's exactly why I can't let you or anyone else help me", the young blonde replied in a sweet, yet calm tone.

"But Sir-"  
"Don't get me wrong though", Rachel quickly replied, cutting her friend off in the process. "I do appreciate what you were trying to do for me though...Now why don't you go back to your office? You have quite a bit of paperwork to complete before the day's through."

And with that, the young blonde released her friends shoulder from her grip and continued to walk down the corridor, leaving Fanny alone to stare in sorrow as she did.

...  
Shortly afterwards, Fanny slowly sulked back to her office, a sad expression was clear on her freckled face as she continued to revisit the memory of what happened between her and Rachel, as if it were some sort of endless nightmare. Upon reaching her office, the Irish redhead opened the door and quickly let herself in, closing the door in the process. Immediately afterwards, she banged her head against the door and let it hang there, allowing herself to drown in her own sorrow once more as she began to think over her own stupidity.

Rachel was relentless and stubborn, she had always been that way for as long as Fanny knew her. 'What made her think the young blonde would change her mind so easily?' she thought to herself as she continued to hang her head in sorrow, angered and saddened by her friends decision.

"Damnit Rachel...why do ye' always have to be so damn selfless...", Fanny asked in a melancholy tone, allowing a stray tear to fall down her cheek as she spoke.

Deciding that she needed to take her mind off the current situation, she walked over to her desk to start filing more paperwork. But as she walked over, she couldn't help but notice something just sitting right there at the front of her desk. What that object was was a tiny yellow box, wrapped with green ribbon with no name tag attached to it.

"What's this", she asked as she took the tiny present into her hands, still rather curious of its content despite the lack of tag. After shaking the present to guess its content, she untied the green ribbon and opened the yellow box lid. But as she did, a light began to flash inside the box, causing Fanny to stare in confusion. As this occurred, a giant explosion followed by a high-pitched scream could be heard throughout the base, both terrifying and confusing all operatives on the base.

"What was that", asked a shocked and concerned sounding Rachel as she sat atop her chair looking down over the main bridge.

"I don't know, Sir. But whatever it was, it came from the left quadrant of this level", Herbie replied in a concerned tone.

"The left quadrant", the young blonde replied in a frightened tone, remembering at once that Fanny's office was located in that area.

"Come with me Numbuh 65.3, we've got to see what's going on", she quickly responded in a slightly panicky tone, Herbie nodding along in agreement at his leader's statement.

Immediately afterwards, the young blonde and the nerdy boy rushed out of the room and began to run down to the left quadrant, fearing the worst as they approached their destination. Upon reaching the area, they came to find a group of operatives stationed in a concerned fashion outside of a smoke induced office...Fanny's office to be precise.

Now feeling her stomach beginning to turn, the young blonde pushed past various operatives and ran into the smoke induced room, Herbie following in pursuit. Upon entering the smoke induced room, the two operatives stood to face Fanny. She lay still on the floor, her back turned and her helmet lay off to the side. Horrified by this image, Rachel collapsed to her knees and began to frantically shake her hurt friend, praying that she was still alive.

"Fanny", she cried as she continued to shake her friend "Fanny, wake-up! Wake-up!"  
Upon getting no response, the young blonde proceeded to give up and turn her friend onto her back. What came afterwards...was not a pretty sight to behold. The Irish redhead was revealed to have bloody bruises on her hands, neck, right cheek and left eye. Witnessing this sight caused Rachel to gasp in shock as she raised her hand to her mouth, her fear now escalating into anxiety as she continued to star at her wounded friend.

"Sir", the nerdy boy replied, causing his frightened leader to look his way. "I think you might want to take a look at this."

Seeing that he held a burnt yellow box in his hand, the young blonde took it into her own hands and looked inside the box. Upon doing so, she found a small inscription that read 'I gave you a warning. But because you didn't take it seriously, prepare for the most unpleasant bloodbath of your life.'

Upon reading that inscription, Rachel froze, her anxiety beginning to escalate higher and higher as she did. She had listened to his warning and had refused to heed it without a solo fight. But because she didn't, her operatives were now going to pay the price, and that scared her beyond speakable terms.

End chap. 4


	5. Fake Mission

After the cold-blooded attack made on Fanny, a week went by. Not much had changed, except had Alpha had proven himself to be not only a genuine threat to Rachel, but to the entire organization. This threat however, was not the thought that occupied the minds of the residents of Sector V, who had been cooked up in heir treehouse since early that morning. Despite their need to fresh air, they'd all managed to find enjoyable ways to occupy their time. Wally and Kuki were enjoying playing a video game on the love seat, Hoagie was busy reading a comic on the arm of the love seat, and Nigel was going over mission reports while Abby sat beside him reading a girly magazine.

"Yay", Kuki cried out in delight as she began to do a little victory dance. "I win! I win!"

"No way!", Wally replied in angry tone. 'How could you have beat me!? I just taught you how to play this afternoon!"

"I guess I'm a fast learner", the little Asian girl replied in a cute tone that angered the short Aussie even more than before.

"But that's not fair", he replied. "You shouldn't have beaten me!"

"Ah, come on. You're just mad because you got beaten by a girl", Hoagie replied in a calm tone that caused Kuki to giggle at their short friend.

"I am not! I just think it's unnatural for a girl to beat a guy in video games is all", Wally quickly replied, his weird remark causing his chubby friend to stare at him in confusion.

"Hey guys. Anything new?", asked a familiar voice that caught the attention of all five operatives. Upon turning around, they came to face Alex, who had just walked out of the kitchen and was now standing right behind the chair Nigel and Abby were seated on. Although she had a smile on her cute face, what really caught the interest of her friends was the fudge and vanilla iced cake she held in a protective tupawear case in her hands.

"Hey girl", Abby said in a happy yet calm tone. "Done with yo' bakin' I take it."

"Uh-huh", the mutant brunette replied in a rather chipper tone.

"Say Two-Seventy-Three, is that a Chocolate Shmoo Cake", the plump pilot asked, all the while staring at the cake.

"Yeah", she replied.

"Ooh, I love Chocolate Shmoo Cake! Can I have some", he asked as he inched his way towards the cake, causing Alex to levitate the cake in the air via telekinesis out of his reach.

"It's not for you, huh?", she replied in a snarly tone. "It's for 86-chan."

"No fair! Why does Numbuh 86 get a cake", the Australian blonde asked in an annoyed tone.

"Because", she began. " I called to see how she was doing, and she asked me if I could make her something so that she had something to stave off boredom with, so I said yes."

"How is she doing by the way", Nigel asked in a stern yet concerned sounding tone.  
Upon hearing that phrase, Alex let out a small sigh, indicating to the others that it wasn't all good news. Levitating the cake down onto the nearby table, she walked over to the other side of the couch a plopped herself in between Nigel and Abby, ready to tell them what she had learned.

"Okay for the most part", she began in a melancholy tone. " The rest of her wounds are holding up well, but the doctors are keeping her for testing, just to make sure no long term damage has been done to her eye."

"Poor Fanny.", Kuki replied in a concerned tone. " I sure hope that Alpha guy gets what's coming to him soon."

"He'll get his just dessert soon enough Numbuh 3. Although...I wonder how long it will take before his reign of terror ends. It's bad enough that he threatened our leader, now he's even attacked a high ranking officer to get to her', Nigel replied in a stern tone.

"Well it makes sense he'd go after Numbuh 86", Hoagie replied. "She is very close to Numbuh 362"

"But it's not just people close to her, he's also started attacking other sectors as well", the British bald boy replied in a stern tone.

"I know", the mutant brunette replied in a melancholy tone. " He's attacked Sector P...Sector B..., Sector Q...Sector N...he's even attacked Sector W."

"Yeah...and the worst part is that it's totally in random order", Abby sternly stated.

"Mm", Alex replied in a blunt tone. "I even tried to track his next move via premonition."

"Did you have any luck with that", the sector leader asked.

"Yeah, did ya', the braided beauty asked.

'No", she replied. " Every time I tried, I couldn't get a vision."

"Don't worry Two-Seventy Three. I'm sure you'll get a vision soon", the little Asian girl said in a reassuring manner.

"Arigato Kuki-chan", Alex replied, all the while uttering the word for 'thank you' in Japanese. 'I hope I get one soon."

"Numbuh 5 hopes ya' do too...Especially seein' as how his attacks are gettin' more violent", Abby replied a stern yet calm tone.

" And it doesn't help that they've found no evidence at the crime scenes", Hoagie replied in a blunt tone.

"Yes...he's proved much sneakier than Rachel initially anticipated.", Nigel replied.

"That...or someone else is much sneakier than she anticipated", Abby sternly replied, causing all eyes to fall on her for a moment.

"Well either way, I think the only way to resolve the whole thing is for Numbuh 362 ta' just go in with a cruddy team and beat the guy up", Wally replied in a determined tone.

"But it's not that simple Numbuh 4" , Hoagie spoke up. "We all know Numbuh 362 is still intent on fighting Alpha herself."

"Yeah, but sooner or later she'll have ta' face facts and get someone ta' help her", Abby replied in a rather matter of fact tone. "Her plan's gettin' more operatives hurt than it is protectin' them."

"Yes...but Rachel is very stubborn...After all...even though she knows it herself...she refuses to admit that facing him herself is impossible", Nigel replied in a stern tone.

"Boss", Abby whispered in a tone of disbelief.

'Nigel-kun", Alex whispered in a tone of disbelief.

Suddenly, a loud sound could be heard throughout the room. Recognizing it to be the Mission Speck machine, Hoagie quickly ran over to the main computer and took out the little piece of red paper dangling from the machine.

"What does it say Numbuh 2", Nigel asked in a curious tone.

'It's a Mission Speck from MoonBase", Hoagie said in a surprising manner. "It says that Knightbrace went on a tooth brushing spree and we need to stop him."

"Finally! A mission", , the Australian blonde replied in a tone of delight. 'I've been waitin' for one all day!

"Yay! Mission! I call shot-gun", Kuki happily chirped as she ran off to the hangar.

"Oh no ye' don't", Wally angrily replied as he ran towards the hangar, the plump pilot happily following in pursuit.

Getting up from their seats, Nigel, Abby and Alex all began to head towards the hangar. But as this occurred, the mutant brunette stopped dead in her tracks as a feeling came over her. It was presence...and one that made her feel incredibly uncomfortable. Upon noticing this, the spunky African-American walked back towards her friend and put her hand on her shoulder, causing the uncomfortable feeling mutant to look up at her stern looking friend.

'You okay girl", the spunky African-American asked.

"I...I felt something...a presence", Alex began in a shaky yet whispered tone. "It wasn't the form of a human...but from what I felt...it seems rather disturbing..."

" What kind of presence was it", Abby asked.

"It was an electrical surge...and a powerful one at that", her friend replied.

"Is it comin' from inside the treehouse", Abby asked in a stern tone.

"Hai", the mutant brunette replied, all the while mutter the word 'yes' in Japanese.

"Which means we probably shouldn't leave", her friend replied sternly.

"Is something wrong', asked a familiar British accented voice that caught the two friends off guard. Turning around, they came to find that it was only Nigel.

"Alex felt a presence", replied the braided beauty in a stern yet calm tone.

"A presence", Nigel asked.

"Yes", Alex replied. "An electrical surge. "One so powerful that it exploded in a disturbing manner."

"Was it inside the treehouse", he asked.

"Without a doubt", she replied. 'The presence I felt is strongest in this area."

"Which means that if we try to leave, it will activate."  
"That's exactly what I was thinkin', Abby replied in a stern yet calm tone.

Once those words were spoken, the three friends immediately began to run towards the hangar. Once there, they came to find Hoagie in the kock pit of the COOLBUS, ad Kuki and Wally sitting in the passenger seats, talking like normal.

"Hey guys", Hoagie happily said. "It's about time you three showed up."

"Guys, get out of that COOLBUS! We're not going on that mission", Nigel angrily shouted.

"Why not", Wally asked.

"Yeah", Kuki replied. "Wally and I settled the shot-gun dispute."

"That ain't it girl", Abby angrily shouted. "Alex felt somethin'."

"Big deal", the Australian blonde replied. " Two-Seventy-Three feels stuff all the time."

" This is different Wallabee-kun", Alex yelled. "The presence I felt was disturbing. So much so that it could be a genuine threat to us all!"

"Which is exactly why we should ignore that mission and figure out what this presence is", the British bald boy stated.

"Well if that's how you feel, then we don't mind-", the plump pilot began as he was cut off by the sound of the engine turning on.

"Numbuh 2", Nigel angrily shouted.

"It wasn't me", Hoagie shouted, surprised by the sudden engine movement.

As this occurred, electrical surges bursted from out of the COOLBUS, drowning the room in white electrical charges. As this happened, all six friends could do nothing but stare in shock at what was happening. After a few moment so eternity, they came to realize that fear ahd overtaken them.

"Hit the deck", the sector leader cried out as he, Abby and Alex huddled together and fell to the floor, the rest of their team doing the same.

"Guard Shield, up", Alex shouted in a fierce voice, her eyes glowing pink and her hands emitting telekinetic energy as she did.

Within an instant, pink circular orbs surrounded her huddled group, the now huddled Wally and Kuki, and the now fetal positioned Hoagie. But even as this occurred, the electrical surge continued to spread throughout the area, terrifying the six friends even more than when it first began. After what seemed like a moment of eternal waiting, all that could be heard throughout the treehouse was a gihugic explosion.

...  
The sound of running, it was the only sound that could be heard throughout the dimly lit corridor as Rachel continued to run, a concerned look clear in her eyes as she relentlessly ran towards her destination. Upon reaching her destination( which was the MoonBase infirmary), she ran through the lobby like a madwoman and ran to Room 209, the room she had been told Sector V was resting up in. Catching her breath slightly, the young blonde slowly opened the door. What came afterwards, was quite the shock to her. The six members of Sector V were sitting on two infirmary beds( boys on the right bad, girls on the left bed), their wounds mounting to no more than deep, bandaged cuts, and their moods as lively as ever.  
"Hi Numbuh 362", Kuki happily chirped.

"You...you guys are okay", Rachel replied in a tone of shock and surprise.

"Well of course we are", Nigel replied calmly.

"Yeah. We might've ben of worse if Alex hadn't thrown up her guard shield", Abby said cooly.

"Well he said 'hit the deck', I just assumed that also meant 'throw up the guard shield", Alex replied in an explaining manner.

"True, but it was yo' quick thinkin' that saved us", replied the spunky African American as she noogied her friend, the mutant brunette giggling and blushing like crazy as her idol and friend did so.

"Still though", Hoagie began. "To think we actually survived a stunt like that, guard shield or not."

"How did this happen", the young blonde asked in a curious tone.

"Well it was an electrical surge", he continued. "One that was set off when the COOLBUS engine was turned on."

"And right before, Two-Seventy-Three felt a strange presence in the treehouse", the sector leader sternly added on.

"Mm", the mutant brunette replied a low, stern tone. "And a disturbing one at that."

"Oh...I can't believe this is happening", the young Supreme Leader replied in a tone of sorrow and disbelief. "I mean you guys got off easy...But so many others have ended up in the hospital because of his antic...No one is safe from his wrath as long as I try to stop him myself."

"Well why don't you let us help you", the plump pilot asked.

"Yeah", Wally loudly chimed in. "Besides, after what happened, I want ta' get even with that guy!".

"I can't let you do that", Rachel sternly replied.

"Why not", Nigel sternly asked.

"Because I'm the one he wants", she sternly shouted at him, her voice becoming shakier as she continued to speak. "My operatives continue to be hurt because of him...and I can't risk letting them pay the price for his grudge against me...not anymore..."

Upon finishing her sentence, the young blonde hung her head in sorrow and shame, a stray tear falling from her eye as she did. Suddenly though, Rachel looked up to face Alex levitating her tear via telekinesis, the rest of Sector V right behind her. They all had warm, peaceful, genuine smiles on their faces, something that surprised her.

"Don't cry sweetie", Alex said in a very sweet tone.

"Yeah, we're here for you", the little Asian girl sweetly replied.

"You don't have to do this alone Rachel...We want to help you", the sector leader said.

"He's right ya' know", the braided beauty calmly replied.

Upon hearing these sentences, Rachel could not help but be touched by her friends loyalty, and selflessness. Still though, it was not enough to convince her to change gears. Sighing, she looked up to face her friends once more, opening her mouth to speak as she did.

"Thank guys...but no thanks...", she calmly said. "I need to do this alone.

And with that, the young Supreme Leader opened the door and exited the room, leaving her six friends shocked and astonished as she closed the door to their room.

"I can't believe it! She blew us off", Wally yelled in an aggravated tone. "What will it take for her ta' take offered help!?"

"I don't know. But even if she don't want our help, Numbuh 5 ain't worried", the arm crossed Abby replied.

"What do you mean you're not worried!? She could get killed if someone doesn't help her", Hoagie hysterically stated.

"Because...there's one person that'll try and protect her...no matter what", the spunky African American replied in a tone that caused her five friends to realize who it is she was referring to.

...  
Shortly afterwards, Rachel continued to walk down the corridor back to her office, a mixture of sorrow and anxiety swirling inside of her as she did. Suddenly though, she stopped dead in her tracks as her anxiety overtook her. The only way she could let it out though, was by crying. As her tears began to fall, she could not help but wonder if she was doing the right thing. On the one hand, her loyalty, her honor, her courage, and her selflessness made her stick to her guns of a one-woman operation. On the other hand, she wondered if her strategy was correct by allowing Alpha to wreak havoc this way. Was it too simple? Had he expected her to do this? Would he continue targeting sectors until she broke down and surrendered? She wasn't sure what to think.

"Sir", asked a familiar, nazly voice that brought her back to reality. Upon looking up, she came to face Herbie standing in front of her.

"Numbuh 65.3", Rachel said in a surprised tone as she wiped her tears away. "What can I do for you?"

"Well...uh...I don't know how to say this...", the nerdy boy replied.

"Well then just say it", she replied.

"Well...you see...we sent Numbuhs 41 and 42 to investigate the Sector V attack...they found no evidence

again..."

Upon hearing that sentence, Rachel felt her anxiety increase once more. Not only had Alpha proven to be far cleverer than she had expected, he was also much sneakier than she expected as well. She knew that she must stop him before he could cause anymore harm. But as she did, only one question ran through her anxiety filled mind...How...?

End chap. 5


	6. The Protective Fool

Rachel had made a promise to herself, a promise that she would find a way to cease Alpha's reign of terror. And yet two days later, she had not kept to her promise. Instead, she found herself walking down one of the many corridors of the Arctic Training Base, beginning completion of her weekly inspection of the base. Right by her side was the bases Second-In Command Jeffery, or Numbuh 600, who under requested orders had been asked to fill in Patton's usual spot.

"Well, cadet activity has been pretty good this month", Jeffery optimistically said.

"Most of them have reached level 40 in their training, and many of them are looking forward to their graduation next month", he stated as he turned to look at his leader, sighing in annoyance as he came to find her staring off into space.

"Sir", the blue eyed boy asked, bringing her back to reality a few seconds later.

"O-Oh yes, excellent work Numbuh 600", the young blonde quickly replied.

"This is the third time you've spaced out today Sir. Is something wrong", he asked in a concerned

tone.

"Is it that obvious", she asked in a tone of disbelief.

"I'm not as stupid as I look Sir", the blue eyed boy replied as a moment of silence came upon the two

acquaintances.

"Would you like to talk about it", Jeffery asked as he broke the silence, surprising her in the process. "Look, I may not be very smart, and I may not know you as well as Numbuh 60 does, but I can help if it's a matter of the heart.

Upon hearing that sentence being uttered, a moment of silence befell the two acquaintances once more as Rachel contemplated what to do. On the one hand, she felt that she must solely shoulder her burden in all forms. But on the other hand, the loneliness she felt from this situation was urging her to tell someone of her miseries. The young blonde tried to stick to her gun and go with the first option, but Jefferys concern and kindness had unfortunately won her over. Sighing, the young blonde then opened her mouth to speak.

"It's just this whole Alpha thing Numbuh 600", Rachel replied in a melancholy tone. I'm doing all I can to try and stop him...and yet he's always one step ahead of me every time...It's making me question wether I can protect this organization...It's also beginning to make me question...my own leadership skills..."

Having said her piece, Rachel continued to look down at the floor, a look of sorrow clearly detailed on her face as she did. Now understanding the burden and the pain of her situation, the blue eyed boy walked over to his Supreme Leader and gave her a comforting smile, something that caught her off guard.  
"May I suggest having someone help you fight him", the blue eyed boy suggested in a sweet tone. "If so, then I'd suggest Numbuh 60."

"Thank you", she replied sweetly. "But I can't risk hurting anymore of my own operatives."

"Ah, come one", he replied. " I mean Numbuh 60's been pretty much helping you from the start."

"What", she asked as she turned to face her acquaintance, shock clear in her voice as she did.

Upon hearing that sentence, Jeffery put his hands to his mouth in fear, realizing what he had just done. Curious, the young blonde began to eye the now frozen second-in command, a suspicious look now clear on her beautiful face as she did.

"Do you know something", she asked in a suspicious tone, causing him to quiver in fear.

"I have no idea what you're talking about", the blue eyed boy replied in a nervous tone.

"You know something, don't you Numbuh 600", Rachel asked as she raised the tone of her voice to anger.

"Yes", he nervously replied after a long moment of silence.

"Alright then, thank you for being honest", she sincerely replied. "Now what is it?"

"Sorry Sir, I can't tell you. I promised I wouldn't tell anyone", Jeffery replied in a tone of loyalty.

"I'll tell you where you can find the cheapest version of the original version of Star Wars on Ebay if you tell me", she replied in a sweet tone, realizing her bribe had worked upon seeing his eyes light up in

delight.

"Alpha's not the one stealing the evidence, Numbuh 60 is", he quickly replied, only to realize what he'd done once he saw the surprised look on her face.

"Numbuh 60's...stealing the evidence", the young blonde replied in a whispered tone of shock and disbelief, not quite understanding why her friend would do a thing like that.

"Well technically I've been the one stealing the evidence, he's just been examining it. But still, it was his idea", he quickly replied, covering his mouth again right afterwards.

"But why would he...", Rachel asked in a whispered tone, too confused to even finish her own sentence.

"He was only doing it to help you Sir", the blue eyed boy said, his sentence causing his leader to snap out of her stunned state and sigh in aggravation.

"Why does that not surprise me", she asked in an aggravated tone, annoyed that she hadn't realized it

sooner.

Now angry and annoyed, the young blonde began to walk down the corridor to find Patton's office, prepared to confront him as she did. As she continued, all Jeffery could do was stand in place, regret clear in his eyes as he thought about what was to come for his friend.

"Oh man, I sure hope Patton will be okay", he replied in a whispered, concerned tone. "But man, is he going to kill me this time!"

...  
Silence, it was a rare, unique part of reality that let you accomplish work without being distracted. This seemed to be the case for Patton as he sat at his office desk, intently looking over a piece of a broken COOLBUS. And yet even though hours had been put into examining it and several other pieces for clues, he had found nothing. Annoyed, the young Drill Sergeant sighed and threw the small piece into a small pile of parts on his desk.

"Nothing", he whispered, pinching the middle of his forehead in aggravation. A sudden knock at the door however, alerted him to his feet in a slight panic.

"One second", he yelled to the knocker, quickly putting away all of the small parts into his desk. Once all the pieces were safely tucked away in his desk, the raven haired boy quickly threw himself into a straight standing position, so as not to draw suspicion. "Come in."

Upon hearing his order, the knocker obeyed and opened the door. But as they did, a small look of horror became apparent on Patton's face as he saw that his visitor was his own friend and superior Rachel. A look of anger was clear in both her eyes and her face. Noticing this, he looked at her sternly and opened his mouth to speak.

"Numbuh-"

"At ease solider", Rachel angrily replied, cutting him off as she walked over to his desk, an angry look present on her beautiful face.

"You look angry. Is something wrong", he asked, confused by her mood.

"Open the contents of your desk", she sternly ordered, pointing to his desk compartments as she did.

"Why do you need to-"

"Just open them", she replied in an annoyed tone, cutting him off once more.

Knowing he couldn't defy her orders, the raven haired boy began to open the contents of his desk, albeit rather reluctantly. Nothing seemed to happen as he kept opening them, until he opened the last one on the right side of the desk. Upon seeing it opened, Rachel gasped in shock. For all the missing evidence, it was all there in that little compartment.

"I don't believe it...", she replied in a shocked yet whispered tone, now realizing that Jeffery had been telling her the truth.

Now annoyed, she crossed her arms and stared intently at her friend. This caused Patton to gulp in nervousness, for he knew what was coming.

"Well...knowing you I assume I don't need to ask for your motivation, do I", she sternly asked.

"No", he replied bluntly. "I just wanted to help you figure out who this Alpha guy was. But since you wouldn't let me, I had Jeff get the evidence for me and then took matters into my own hands."

"Did you have anyone else helping", she asked.

"No", he quickly replied.

"Patton", she said in a tone of disbelief, not buying his answer for a second.

" I had the 44 twins get the evidence frm Sector V a few days ago", he quickly confessed. "How did you even find out about this?"

"A little birdie told me", she replied, causing the raven haired boy to immediately sigh as he realized who she was referring to.  
"You know, I really got to stop telling Jeff my plans", Patton said in a tone of slight annoyance.

" Actually, I'm glad he blabbed. I can't believe you disobeyed me again", she replied in an angry tone.

"Yes. But I had to", he sternly replied.

"Oh really, and why is that", she asked.

"Because you refuse yo listen to reason", the young Drill Sergeant angrily shouted.

"Oh, so automatically because I decide to fight someone on my own, that's considered refusing to listen to reason", the young blonde angrily asked.

"It is when you're dealing with a terrorist", he angrily shouted.

"You seem to be forgetting who you're talking to Numbuh 60", she sternly stated.

"Oh I do", he sternly replied. "But just because you have a high IQ and you were a top spy does not qualify you to take on a terrorist by yourself."

"Patton, I respect your concern. But wether you agree with me or not, I can and will take him down myself", the young Supreme Leader replied in an angry tone.

"And that's exactly your problem! You say it's a one person job, but is it really", he asked, cocking his eyebrow in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean", she angrily asked.

"It means you can't win if you face him alone, and you know it", he angrily shouted.

Upon hearing that sentence, Rachel felt shock come over her as the room went silent. This silence however, was broken she opened her mouth to speak, Patton still intently staring at her as she did.

"Fine...", she began. "So I can't face him alone...I know that...But even with that in mind, I have to do this alone! I refuse to let my operatives to be hurt by him any longer!"

"I'm not saying you have to, all I'm saying is that you need some help", he sternly replied.

"He has already attacked seven sectors and one high ranking officer within the last week! I can't take a chance that he'll violently hurt whoever's with me if I ask for their help", the young blonde angrily replied.

"Besides, he's already attacked almost everyone who's close to me. Who's to say you won't be his next target", she asked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion as she did so.

"If so, then I'll give him a fight he'll never forget", the raven haired boy replied in a determined tone.

"But you might be killed", she angrily shouted.

"I've almost been killed before and that hasn't stopped me from bringing scum like him to justice", Patton replied in determined yet angered tone.

"While that may be true, that doesn't mean your impulsiveness couldn't kill you in the future", Rachel sternly replied.  
"Wait, so it's okay for you to worry about me, but it's not okay for me to worry and want to help you", he asked in a now annoyed tone.

"That's because it's different", she angrily replied.

"How is it different", he angrily asked.

"Because you'll be attacked because of me and I can't let you or anyone else die as a result", she yelled.

And as she yelled, a moment of silence once again came upon them. As this occurred, Patton felt shock overcome him as Rachel just stared intently at him. This silence however, was broken as she once again opened her mouth to speak.

"Now I'm going to tell you this one last time...And this time, heed it as a warning...Don't get yourself involved", Rachel said in a stern yet angry tone.

Having said her piece, the young Supreme leader began to walk out of the room, closing the door behind her as she did so. Once she was gone, the young Drill Sergeant slumped into his chair in sorrow, upset by the fact that she had discovered him so quickly. Sighing, he rested his forehead on his hands, his mind continuing to drift towards the situation, and the one he cared about as he did.

"I'm sorry...", he began in a low, whispered tone. "But no matter how much you tell me not to...I will always protect you...even if I have to die doing so..."

End chap. 6


	7. Insecurities, Locations and Messages

The following day, Rachel sat at the desk in her office, her head resting on her hands as a melancholy expression lay carved into her beautiful face. Although suppost to be working on the big pile of paperwork piled up on her desk, she could not help but allow her mind to drift off to others thoughts. What occupied her mind at this time was the threat Alpha had put on the KND, having attacked Sector K only a few hours ago. Everyone had received minor injuries, but this still didn't do anything to calm the young Supreme Leaders nerves as she focused on Alpha, and the things he had done.

"Eight sectors", she thought to herself in a melancholy tone.

"Eight sectors and one officer he's taken down in the last week...and not a single trace of pattern", she continued to think, slight anxiety overtaking her as she did. Sighing, she rested her forehead in her hands as she continued to think, the look on her face not budging an inch.

"What should I do?...Every time he attacks, he leaves no indication or trail, making it difficult to track his next move...", she thought to herself as she let out a small sigh.

"Maybe facing him myself isn't the right thing to do...But what choice do I have?...I mean...I can't protect my own operatives or the ones I love on my own", she continued to think, Alpha's words from his hacked transmission running through her head as she did.

"I refused to give into his threat...but with all that's happened...maybe he's right...I've caused so many problems for the Kids Next Door...and none that I could fix...Maybe I am just a terrible leader...", she continued to think in a melancholy tone. A knock at the door however, brought her back to reality.

"Come in", she answered in the best optimistic voice that she could.

Upon hearing this voice, the knocker obeyed and opened the door. A small look of surprise however, became apparent on Rachel's face as she saw that her visitor was none other than Herbie.

"Numbuh 65.3. What are you-"

"Sir, come quick", he began in a breathless, almost excited voice. "Numbuh 74.239 and I found something you might be interested in."

...  
Meanwhile, Patton walked down the corridor to Rachel's office, a look of sorrow and disappointment clear on his handsome face as he did. Although on his way to return the stolen evidence( which were safely tucked away in his backpack), his mind could not help but wander over to Rachel...and how he felt about the situation. Rachel was as strong, confident kid, and he knew he should respect her decisions. But at the same time, he could not help but feel the need to intervene somehow. He knew that was selfish of him, but he knew he must. For while the Kids Next Door held a very special place in his heart, so did she.

"What do I say?...She's going to want some explanation", he thought to himself in a whispered, melancholy tone, trying to come up with an answer as he neared his destination.

"Rachel...I'm sorry I stole the evidence", he began in his head. "But...I had to. I know you need help even though you refuse to admit it, so that's why I did what I did. I know I'm impulsive and I don't think things through most of the time...but I care about you...I want to protect you...and the Kids Next Door from this scum...I couldn't let you die...And all because I...because I...Oh god, she's never going to believe me", he thought to himself as he neared his destination.

But as he did, the young Drill Sergeant noticed the young blonde and Herbie running down the corridor towards him.

"Sir-"

"No time to talk", Rachel quickly replied as she and the nerdy boy continued to run down the corridor, causing Patton to stare in confusion.

...  
A short while later, they arrived in the bases monitor room. Upon entering, they were greeted by a seated Numbuh 74.239. Happy to see they had arrived, he greeted them with a big, yet devious looking smile.

"Well, it's about time you showed up", he said in his high-pitched voice. "I was beginning to think you'd stopped off for a snack."

"Well duh, of course I wouldn't be back with her right away. Her office is 11.9 minutes away from this place", the nerdy boy replied in a tone of disbelief. "Did you honestly think we'd come back in 5.7 minutes or something?"

"Anyway", Rachel replied before that question could be answered. "What exactly is it you guys want me for?"

"Well Sir, the answer to that is simple. Are you familiar with hack codes", the redheaded nerd asked.

"Well of course", she replied in a matter of fact tone. "Part of a spys job is to hack computers for information. Why?"

"Oh, no reason", he replied in a slightly cocky tone. "Except that Numbuh 65.3 and I were able to find a way to hack Alpha's communication system and contact him."

"Really?! Are you serious?! But...how", the young blonde asked in a surprised yet excited tone.

"Well it's really quite simple. Numbuh 65.3 got a hold of the transmission and we traced it back to its destination."

"I can't believe you went to all this trouble. Thank you so much", she said in a grateful tone as she gave Numbuh 74.239 a hug, causing him to blush a light shade of pink as she did.

"Ah Sir, shouldn't we be hacking his transmission right about now", the nerdy boy asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry", she replied as she let go of her operative. "Numbuh 74.239, install that hack code."

"Yes Sir", he replied, all the while saluting his superior.

The redheaded nerd then began to type in the code, immediately pressing the hack button right afterwards. After a few minutes of nothing but static, a picture of Alpha appeared on the screen( working on some type of bomb device). Now feeling like she had a victory or the first time in a long time, Rachel felt confidence and cockiness overtake her as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Hello Alpha", she said in a cocky yet confident tone, causing him to turn around in a surprised manner.

"What!? But...how!? Oh forget it", he yelled in a confused tone, regaining his stern composure as he did. "I should've expected a clever little spy like you would be able to trace back a hacked transmission to its place of origin."

"Thank you, but while I may be clever, it also helps to have loyal nerds on your side", the young blonde replied as a small smirk appeared on her face, the two operatives waving at him in the background as this occurred.

"Charmed", he replied in a sarcastic tone that caused the young Supreme Leader to regain her stern composure. "Although how a pathetic leader like you could have such followers is beyond me."

"All leaders have people who are willing to help them when necessary, even if they don't ask for it", Rachel sternly said as she tried to defend herself.

"Oh please", Alpha said. "Although I must admit, I'm impressed. I figured you would have cracked after the fifth attack, and yet you're still standing."

"I don't give up that easily", she sternly replied.

"As I recall", you don't indeed. And yet that hasn't done you much good either", he replied in a snarly tone.

"Alright, so I've made mistakes as a leader! At least I've tried to atone for them", she barked at him.

"True, but atonement can only last so long. After all...how many times can the Kids Next Door forgive your mixed acts of courage and cowardice", he asked.

"Everyone has mixed feelings of courage and cowardice whenever they set their mind to do something, and you're no different", she sternly replied.

" What", he asked in an angered tone.

"You heard me", she bravely began. "You keep attacking sectors to weaken me, hiding behind your attacks like a faceless coward! If you really had any courage, you'd take me down yourself!"

"Is that a proposition", he asked in a low, curious tone.

"One I've been meaning to make for a long time", she sternly replied.

"Very well, I'll take your proposition and fight you myself. You're weak enough from the sector attacks so this should work to my advantage", he said in a confident tone that caused slight anger to boil up inside of the young blonde. "Name your battlefield."

"The rebuilt Kids next Door gihugicarrier at high noon today", she replied in a low, stern tone.

"Very well...see you soon Numbuh 362", he replied in an arrogant tone.

Once that sentence was uttered, the hacked transmission ended. As it did, a moment of silence broke out amongst the three allies, one that was only broken once Herbie spoke up.

"So, you're going to face him yourself after all", Herbie asked in a concerned tone.

"That was always the plan", the young blonde replied sternly. "Numbuh 65.3, put Numbuh 86 in charge for now. Don't tell her where I've gone off to, I don't want her following me for her own sake."

"What should I tell her then", the nerdy boy asked.

"Tell her I'm on break", she sternly said as she walked over to the door, only to stop and look back at her fellow operatives with a small smile.

"By the way, thank you both for all your help", she said in a very sweet tone.

"Ah, don't mention it Sir", the redheaded nerd replied.

"Yeah, we're glad to help you Sir. Now you better get going, you only have 1.6 hours until your confrontation", the nerdy boy sincerely replied, pointing to his watch to indicate the time as he did.

"Right", Rachel quickly replied.

And with that, the young blonde ran down the corridor and back to her office to prepare for her confrontation. But as she rounded the corner, a familiar person jumped out of the rafters and landed onto his feet. That person was none other than Patton, a look of anger and determination clear in his gentle black eyes as he looked up at the corridor she had just run down.

"Not on my watch", he said in a low, angered voice, now determined to stop his friend and superior once more.

End chap. 7


	8. The First and Last Kiss

Awhile later, Rachel was in her office, silently packing what she would need for her confrontation into a small aquamarine bag on her desk. The silence however, was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, which the young blonde grew suspicious of. She turned around, but suspiciously went back to packing upon seeing no one there. The footsteps however, did not cease. Assuming that it was an intruder, the young blonde threw at them a powerful round house kick. One that was only stopped as the person grabbed her foot. Surprised, she look to see that the 'intruder' was none other than an angry looking Patton.

"Numbuh 60", she said in a surprised tone as he let go of her foot, allowing her to put her leg onto the ground. "How did you get in here?"

"Through the back door", he replied in a low, angered tone. "But that's not important, what's important is that I need to talk to you."

"Look, I'd love to talk right now, but I can't", she replied in a stern yet calm manner as she went back to packing.

"Why? Too busy packing for your confrontation with Alpha", he asked in a low, angered tone that caused her to gasp upon hearing his question. Regaining her stern composure, she turned to face him.

"How do you know about that", she asked in a stern yet angered tone.

"The amazing Numbuh 60 never reveals his secrets", he replied.

"Was the amazing Numbuh 60 hiding in the rafters above head", she asked in a suspicious tone that caused the room to go silent for a moment.

"The amazing Numbuh 60 refuses to acknowledge this", he replied in an embarrassed tone as another moment of silence came between them.

"So in other words, you're here to stop me", she asked.

"Yes", he angrily replied. "You can't face him on your own."

"Oh, and why not", she angrily asked.

"Because you'll be killed if you do", he angrily stated.

"That's a risk I'll have to take. And if you're offering to help, my answer is still no", she replied in a stern yet angered tone.

"If you don't want my help, ask someone else. But you need help taking this guy down", the raven haired boy angrily replied.

"For the last time, no! I refuse to let anymore of my operatives fall victim to his wrath", the young blonde angrily stated, her voice raising in tone as she did.

"Why are you so intent on fighting him yourself when you know you stand a chance of being killed", he asked in an angry tone.

"Because it's my burden", she said in a stern yet angered tone that caused a look of slight surprise to form on her friend's face. "Besides, it doesn't help that I'm beginning to think that Alpha's right. Maybe in reality, I am just a terrible leader...But even so, if I have to take him down the hard way...I'll take myself down with him...Not for the glory...but for my own beliefs and what my operatives mean to me."

"So you'll die, for honor", he angrily asked.

"I will die doing what I think is right", she angrily replied.

"But if you-"

"I know my place", she yelled at him. "Maybe it's time you learned yours.

With that, the young blonde went back to packing her bag as Patton stood there blankly, shock continuing to run through his body as her words continued to echo through his head. But as they did, her words didn't bring him sorrow, they only brought him more anger and determination.

"I know", he said in a low tone, one that caused her to turn and face him once more.

"What", she asked.

"I know where my place is...beneath you...But even so, I'm determined to stop him myself", he said.

"You can't", she angrily stated.

"I don't care", he yelled.

"You're going to defy my orders", she yelled back.

"Damn straight! I may be impulsive and irresponsible, I may very well be a fool, but I refuse to believe that I'm worthless! I refuse to bow down to Alpha, or any threat ever again! I refuse to let the Kids Next Door or humanity fall once more! And I will protect you", he yelled.

"You can't protect me", she yelled back at him.

"I can and I will, because I refuse to let you die, Patton yelled.

"Why are you so adamant about making sure I don't die", Rachel yelled back.

"Because I love you", he quickly yelled back.

But upon saying those three words, the young Drill Sergeant put his hand to his mouth as the young blonde just stood there frozen solid. Both felt shock come over them, but while Patton's shock came from what he had impulsively blurted out, Rachel's came from the words she had not expected to hear. As this occurred, a moment of silence broke out. One that was broken however once she spoke up.

"Is that true", she asked in a low, surprised tone. "You...you love me...?

And asked she that simple question, Patton began to try and find his words, trying to come up with a good answer. And yet as he did, no words came out of his nervous self. And only because he kept wondering, should he really say it's true...or should he say it isn't? He really wasn't sure until he saw the look on wonderment in her beautiful eyes and made his decision, his feelings now overtaking him as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Yes...", he slowly replied, his voice cracking as he did. "It's true...I love you Rachel...These feelings I have for you...I don't know when they started...But for the past few years I haven't been able to think of you as just my friend...I've also thought of you as someone precious to me..."  
"I've tried so hard not to think like that", he continued in a sincere yet saddened tone as she continued to stare at him. "I've tried so hard to convince myself that you're just my friend and nothing else. But no matter how hard I try not to I...I...I can't help but be attracted to you that way..."

"I know it's wrong to feel this way about you...I know it's against the rules...hell, I know it goes against my code of conduct as a Drill Sergeant. That's why I know I should just tell you how I feel and risk everything I have with you", he said as he walked over to the still shocked Rachel.

"But once I start to think about that...I start to think about your traits", he said as he caressed her soft cheeks in his gloved hands, causing her to blush a light shade of pink as she became entranced by the deep look of love in his eyes. " Traits like your warm smile...or your beauty...or your intelligence and maturity...or your stern and assertive composure...or your courage and your ability to never give up...or your gentle, nurturing heart and your passion for justice...all these traits that make me love you..."

" I think about them...and it makes me want to take you into my arms and protect you from the world", he said in a sincere, whispered tone as he wrapped his arms around her slender body, increasing the shock and surprise she felt as he did.

"So please Rachel...don't face him directly...please find another way", he softly pleaded. "I know that's selfish of me...but I don't know what I'd do if I lost you...because you mean everything to me..."

And as he spoke those words, a moment of silence broke out amongst them as they continued their embrace. As the moment continued on, the young blonde felt herself become calm as she continued to rest her body against his warm chest, the deep, true feelings of love he had confessed to her continuing to echo in her head as she did. After awhile though, she felt herself being pulled back to the cold, harsh reality of Alpha's threat. Although she wished she could stay in his arms for awhile longer, the young Supreme Leader eventually ripped herself out of Patton's embrace, surprising him in the process. Upon catching her breath from the shock, the young blonde then opened her mouth to speak.

"Th-thank you for being honest about your feelings", she said in a shaky voice. "But I'm sorry Patton...not even confessing your love is enough to make me change my mind."

"But I can't just-", he began in a desperate tone as she put her fingers to his lips, silencing him in the process.

"Besides...if you really loved me, you'd respect my wishes and let me fight him on my own", she replied in a sincere tone that caused Patton to stare and sigh, for he realized that she had a point.

"I know it's hard for you to accept that I'm rejecting your offer, but you're just so strong and kind Patton, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to you...or any of my operatives for that matter", she replied in a sincere tone, turning to finish packing as she did.

As she did, Patton felt himself slip back into a sorrowful state, or at least until he began to think about what she had just said. That line...she had used it once before when they were arguing at Arctic Base. The line being that she can't risk him or any of her operatives dying along with her. But as he analyzed them, he could not help but notice two things. One was that it almost felt like she had added on the last part of that sentence, and two was she had put him before her operatives when talking about it. Having drawn a conclusion, the young Drill Sergeant chuckled deviously as he looked up to face her once more.

"You know, you never told me just why it is you didn't want me to go with you. Maybe it's a deeper reason", he said in a low, flirtatious tone that caused her to turn and face him once more.

"What do you mean", she asked.

"What I mean is that you don't want me to go because you return my feelings. You love me...as much as I love you...", he replied in a flirtatious tone that caused the young blonde to blush a light shade of pink, a moment of silence coming upon them as this occurred.  
"D-Don't be ridiculous", Rachel slightly stuttered in an embarrassed manner, ending the momentary silence. "I don't think of you as anything more than a friend and fellow operative."

"Really", he said in a suspicious yet devious tone. 'Then why did you add on that last part of that sentence?"

"So that you wouldn't think I was being selfish", she replied in a low, nervous tone.

"I'd never think of you as selfish Rachel. In fact...your selflessness is one of the many things I love about you. But that aside, why would you care if I thought you were being selfish", he asked.

"I don't", she sternly replied.

"I think you do", he deviously replied.

"Look, the bottom line is that I don't love you that way", Rachel said in a stern yet annoyed tone. "Besides, even if I was, what would I possibly find attractive about you romantically?"

"Well..", he began in a low, romantic tone as he moved towards Rachel, surprising her in the process. "I'm brave...and strong...and noble..and devious...and compassionate...and understanding...and sympathetic...and caring...and gentle...I may be a little impulsive...but my heart is in the right place...Not to mention I'm...irresistibly handsome..."he finished in a whispered tone, one that the young blonde was unsure on how to respond to.

"Well...I will admit that I've always liked those traits about you...", she confessed. "And I've always thought you were quite handsome...especially those strong...gentle...hypnotic black eyes of yours...But..."

"But...", he replied in a low, confident tone.

"But...", she replied in a low, melancholy tone.

"But...", he replied in a low, almost impatient tone.

"But...", she replied as she became entranced by his gentle black eyes, him in turn becoming entranced by her beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

As silence came upon them once more, the young Drill Sergeant caressed her soft cheek and leaned in, preparing to kiss her soft lips. Unable to resist temptation, the young blonde closed her eyes and leaned in, preparing to meet with his lips. But as she did, her eyes noticed the time on the clock, which was only fifteen minutes to one. Realizing that she now had limited time to get to the Gihugicarrier, the young blonde quickly pulled away from his handsome face, surprising him once more.

"I have to go", she said in a soft, sincere sounding voice.

"What? Why", Patton asked in a disappointed tone.

"I told Alpha I'd meet him on the rebuilt Gihugicarrier at high noon and I don't have much time left...I have to go", she replied in a soft tone that caused Patton to softly sigh.

"I understand", he replied in a soft tone as he flashed her a small but genuine smile, one that caused her to blush as she returned a warm, genuine smile.

Shortly after wards, the young blonde turned back to her desk and finished packing her bag, sliding it onto her back right afterwards. The young blonde then turned to face her friend one last time, a sad looking smile present on her face as she did.

"Well...goodbye Patton...", she replied in a melancholy tone as the room went silent for a moment.

"Goodbye Rachel...", he replied in the same melancholy tone, a sad smile too was present on his face as the room went silent.

"I'm glad I had someone like you as one of my closest friends...", she replied.

"You're welcome...and I'm happy that I met you...", he replied.

"Well then...I should probably get going...", she replied.

And with that, the young blonde walked away from her friend and over to the door. As she did, all Patton could do was stare at her, wishing that he could at least have one last moment with her as she put her hand on the knob. But to his surprise, she let go of the knob and walked back over to him, a sorrowful look present on her beautiful face as she continued to stare at him.

"But just in case I don't ever come back...", she whispered softly as she closed her eyes and gently yet passionately kissed him. Although taken aback by this, the young Drill Sergeant eventually gave into his desires and kissed back as he wrapped his arms around her slender waist, Rachel resting her hands on his warm chest. And so the moment of eternity began as they continued their kiss, stopping only once to readjust their liplock.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two children broke their kiss, continuing to become lost in each other’s eyes as if the moment had never ended.  
  
“Oh Rachel...” Patton whispered in a romantic tone as he went to kiss her again, happy that one of his dreams had finally come true. But as he did, he felt himself become stopped by a set of soft fingers. Opening his gentle black eyes, he came to face Rachel, tears welling up in her beautiful chocolate brown eyes as she stood to face and confuse him.  
  
“Goodbye Patton...”, she said in a low, weepy tone as she tore herself out of his arms and ran for the door, a few stray tears escaping her eyes as she opened the door and ran out of her office, slamming the door shut in the process.  
  
And as she did, Patton just stood there in silence as the scene replayed over in his head, a saddened look clear in his gentle black eyes as well. Sighing, the young Drill Sergeant allowed a stray tear to fall down from his face as he felt his heart break, angered and saddened by how things had worked out between them. But little did he know that Rachel felt her heart breaking as well as she continued to run towards the docking bay, angered and saddened by how things had worked out between them as well.

End chap. 8


	9. Courage and Cowardice Part 1

High noon, it wasn't exactly the warmest part of the day, but it was neither the coldest. This was the thought that circled through Alpha's head as he stood on the rebuilt Gihugicarrier, awaiting the arrival of his target. His wait however, came to an end as a familiar R.O.A.D.S.T.A.R. landed on one of the platforms. After putting her vehicle in park, the young Supreme Leader jumped out of the driver's seat and landed on her feet, a stern look of anger present clearly detailed on her beautiful face as he just sneered at her.

"Well, looks like you decided to show up", he said in an arrogant tone.

"I'm not a coward like you Alpha. I face my problems head on instead of running from them", Rachel replied in a stern yet powerful tone.

"Attacks maybe. But when it comes to personal problems, you run away like a scared little girl who's lost her mommy", Alpha replied in a snarly, almost mocking tone.

"Call me whatever you want, but a leader is still allowed to make mistakes", she barked in an annoyed manner.

"True, but a good leader would never allow their organization to go to hell in the midst of a personal crisis or belief. A true leader would cast aside those problems for the future of their organization...instead of turning yellow", he replied.

"You say I'm a coward", she asked in a now aggravated tone. "What about you!? Instead of facing me head on, you kept attacking my operatives even though you have respect for our cause! I don't understand why you would do something like that!"

"Because you're fragile", he replied in a calculating tone.

"Wh-What", she asked in a rather shocked tone.

"You see, the thing is is that while you're both strong and powerful physically and mentally, emotionally you're like glass, easy to break", he stated. "I knew you'd refuse to give up without a fight, which is why I decided it would be better to face you indirectly as opposed to directly. With that in mind, I attacked your loud mouthed friend first as a second warning and then slowly worked my way down to sectors you had no personal connection to so as to leave no trail."

"After awhile, I figured going after Sectors W and V was the perfect ploy. Because while you share a close bond with all six of those operatives, you're particularly close to Numbuh 0's son and that mutant freak, which I knew would have a huge affect on you", he finished in a stern tone as the young blonde continued to stand there, shock clearly detailed on her beautiful face as she did.

"So yes, I understand I'm being hypocritical. But as far as I'm concerned, when accomplishing your goals, you have to work with what you have", he replied in a cocky tone. "Besides...your incompetence and weaknesses we're so obvious...I just had to use them to my advantage."

Pulling out a specialized gun, Alpha confidently leaped into the air and flew towards the still stunned Rachel. Snapping out of her stunned state in time to see him coming towards her, the young blonde threw her arms up as a defense guard and flung him away before he could shoot, causing him to land on his feet. Pulling out a SCAMPP from her backpack, she back flipped over her opponent and landed on her feet, taking at shot at him as she did. Dodging her attack, he ran towards her and went to deliver a punch to her face, only to have it be stopped by her throwing up a rising block.

The battle then continued on as the two opponents continued to intently duke it out with their fists and feet, all the while shooting at each other every now and then. The pattern was broken however once Alpha shot a painful lazer beam at Rachel, causing her to collapse hard onto the ground and her gun to slip out of her hand and land not too far away. Noticing this, the young Supreme Leader quickly brought herself to her feet and ran towards the gun as Alpha threw a grenade at her. Noticing the grenade, Rachel leaped for the gun, just as the device hit the ground and set off an explosion, causing Alpha to smirk from underneath his scarf. But as the smoke cleared, he became surprised to find that his opponent was nowhere to be found.

"Alright Numbuh 362, come out where ever you are", he yelled in an annoyed tone as he began to look fro her. But what he didn't know was that Rachel was hiding behind one of the large buildings, catching her breath and resting up.

"You can't hide forever", he yelled as the young blonde continued to catch her breath, all the while sighing.

"What do I do", she thought to herself. "His weapons are more advanced than mine, and I can't keep attacking forever...Maybe I should just-"

"Wait a minute", she continued to think, her photographic memory beginning to analyze their recent fight. "His self made technology and his target aim was quite impressive, but his martial arts skills were a little weak."

"Which means", she thought to herself as she reloaded her gun, a wide smirk emerging on her face as she did. Meanwhile, Alpha continued to search for the young Supreme Leader, becoming annoyed that he hadn't found her yet.

"You know, you might as well come out. You're only proving further that you're a coward and a hypocrite", he said in a snarly tone, taunting her once more.

"Funny", replied a voice that surprised him as he turned around, only to find a stern looking Rachel standing atop one of the buildings and pointing her SCAMPP at him. "I was thinking the exact same thing about you."

Firing his lazer gun at her, the young blonde dodged the lazer and leaped off the building. As she shot her gun at Alpha, knocking his gun out of his hand in the process. Once she was close enough, Rachel sent a powerful round house kick to her opponent, knocking him onto the ground in the process. But as Alpha went to get up, the young blonde pinned him to the ground and grabbed his mask and hat with her hands, shocking him.

"Wha-What are you doing?!", he screamed in fear and anger.

"Revealing my attackers identity before I inicitate the final blow", she replied in a calm, cocky sounding voice as she sneered at him.

And with that, Rachel pulled off his mask and hat. But as she did, shock overcame her as a look of horror and disbelief formed on her beautiful face, for his true identity was someone she was not expecting. Alpha...was one of her own operatives...

"I...I don't believe it...", she replied in a shocked tone as she stood up and slowly backed away. "Numbuh...48 Flavors..."  
"Well...you seem pretty shocked", he replied as he stood up and took his scarf off, only to reveal a devious looking smirk on his face. "But then again, you probably weren't expecting one of your own operatives to be the culprit."

"But...But why...", she asked in a whispered yet shocked tone.

"Because I despise you, and your political views", he screamed at her, finally allowing all of his built up rage to come pouring out.  
"You and your pacifistic views have caused nothing but trouble since you were given the title, and you continue to do so! The rest of the Kids Next Door may be willing to forgive you, but I never will! That's why I did this, so that I could destroy you and save the Kids Next Door from the utter destruction you bring!"

"Half of the things that threatened the Kids Next Door after I became Supreme Leader were entirely coincidence and out of my control! None of those were my fault", she sternly yelled at him.

"Not your fault", he screamed in rage as he went to attack her.

"Who didn't believe in Numbuh 0", he screamed as he sent a punch to her, only for Rachel to dodge his attack.

"Who thought the teens wanted peace with us", he screamed as he tried to kick her, only for Rachel to crouch down and dodge.

"Who couldn't handle the pressure anymore and let a villain run the organization", he screamed as he went to deliver another punch, only to have Rachel back flip and dodge.

"Who foolishly sacrificed themselves just to buy their own friends some time", he screamed as he continued to attack her viciously, only to have all his offensive attacks be blocked by Rachel's defensive moves.

"Who surrendered the MoonBase to Grandfather", he screamed at the young Supreme Leader, his sentence catching her off guard as he viciously punched her in the face, causing her to collapse to the ground. But before she could bring herself to her feet, the redhead boy viciously pinned her to the ground.

"Don't you see all the pain and suffering you've caused", he screamed as he pulled out a switch blade from his utility belt, surprising her in the process. "You don't deserve to live or to lead anyone! No one wants a pathetic wretch like you! No one needs a pathetic leader like you!

And as that sentence was uttered, Rachel felt herself go into shock, his words continuing to echo in her head. As they did, she thought of her mistakes, her blunders, the people she had inadvertently hurt, and all of the suffering she had caused. Maybe Numbuh 48 Flavors was right. Maybe she was just a terrible leader. Or at least...that's what she thought as him bringing the switch blade down brought her back to reality. Traumatized, she closed her eyes in fear as she awaited her death, not even attempting to resist any longer.

End chap.9


	10. Courage and Cowardice Part 2

Traumatized, she fearfully closed her eyes as she awaited her death, not even attempting to resist any longer. But what confused her afterwards, was that she only heard the blade come down, she never actually felt it pierce into her body. Surprised by this, the young blonde opened her eyes to find herself being held in the strong arms of Patton, who looked down to smile at her.

"Well if it isn't Numbuh 60", Numbuh 48 Flavors remarked amusingly. "Come to save you're precious

princess?"

"You're right on the money", the raven haired boy replied in a low, angered tone.

"P...Patton...Wha-What are you doing here", Rachel asked in a shocked tone.

"Well...remember when we were saying our goodbyes, and you told me to follow you in secret in case you needed back-up", he asked.

"I never told you to follow me in secret in case I needed back-up", she yelled at him as she clenched her fists in annoyance.

"Well you didn't tell me not to", he said as a wide smirk appeared on his handsome face, annoying her even more.

"I can't believe you disobeyed me again! How many times do I have to say it before it gets through your thick headed skull that I didn't want you to get involved", she yelled.

"I'm sorry", hew said. "ut I refuse to believe that there's nothing I can do to help you, or the Kids Next

Door."

And with that, he gently put the still shocked Rachel onto the ground. He then turned to face his smirking foe and pulled out a GUMZOOKA, aiming it at his opponent as a look of pure hatred became clear on the young Drill Sergeant's face.

"Numbuh 48 Flavors/Alpha, for terrorizing the Kids Next Door and threatening Numbuh 362, I hear by order you under ar-", he fiercely began before he stopped to clutch his side, wincing in pain as he did. Worried that he might he hurt, Rachel quickly rushed over to the side he was clutching, only to see a deep, bloody gash there as he removed his hand from the wound. But as Patton continued to hold up his gun towards his foe, all the young blonde could do was stand there in horror as she watched blood drip from the wound, unsure of what to do.

"Patton...", she whispered as she covered her mouth with her hands in shock, all the while Numbuh 48 Flavors stared at this sight in amusement.

"Wow, what a gash, and to think you wouldn't have that if it weren't for her" the redhead remarked. "But then again, it only makes sense that someone as stupid as you would love and be loyal to a worthless, pathetic, wretched leader like her."

"Shut up", the young Drill Sergeant replied in a low, angered tone.

"Why should I ? It's your fault for choosing to follow a leader with no charisma", he continued on.

"I said shut-up", Patton yelled. "Don't insult her in front of me, unless you want the shit beaten out of you!  
"Oh, how threatening", he mocked. "I'd be really scared, if you were able to hold yourself up straight! You might as well just give up."

"Never", Patton replied in a low tone.

"Never", Numbuh 48 Flavors asked.

"Never", the young Drill Sergeant yelled. "I know I'm irresponsible, I know I'm impulsive...but I'm not worthless. I will protect the Kids Next Door from threats like you."

"I will protect my beliefs, the beliefs and lives of innocent bystanders, and the lives of those I love, even if it kills me", he stated in a determined tone, one that caused Rachel to go into shock once more.

"You really are a fool", the redhead boy snidely remarked. "It's no wonder Grandfather tricked you so easily into joining him."

Upon hearing that sentence, anger and hatred overtook the young Drill Sergeant as he ran over to Numbuh 48 Flavors to deliver a punch, ignoring the pain in his side. Numbuh 48 Flavors however, stopped the punch with his own hand as he went to deliver a kick to his opponent head. Patton however dodged the kick as the two boys began their own brawl of fist and feet. As their brawl fest continued, all Rachel could do was stand there as she gazed in horror at the scene unfolding. Patton was risking everything for her, he had even been hurt trying to save her. And for that, she knew his life could not end in vain. 'I have to do something' was the thought that ran through her head as she ran back to her ROADSTAR. As she did, the battle continued on until Patton went to deliver a punch to his opponents head, only to stop and wince in pain from the gash wound. Seizing this as the right opportunity, the redhead boy throughly kicked his opponent right in the side where his gash was, causing him to collapse to the ground in more pain. But before he could get up, Numbuh 48 Flavors pined him to the ground and began to advance on him with his switchblade.

"Say goodbye", he snidely replied as he threw the blade towards his weak opponent, Patton closing his eyes tight as he prepared for more pain. But upon hearing metal clash, the young Drill Sergeant opened his eyes to witness Rachel struggling to hold back the blade with her Yield Staff.

"Leave him alone", Rachel said in a struggling tone. "He's done nothing to you."

"True", he calmly replied. "But his death will prove to be the final nail in your coffin."

"What", she asked.

"You see, I was aware that you were in love with someone because of the look of love in your eyes, the only question that remained was who was it that had captured your heart", he said.

"At first I thought it might be Nigel Uno, but then I remembered your relationship with spiky over there and pieced it together. And now that I know your true soft spot, I can finally terminate you properly", he replied in a dark tone. One that although surprised Rachel, also gave her determination as she used her staff to throw him across the platform.

"You're not terminating anyone today", she screamed at him.

"Well we'll just have to see about that, won't we", he said in a cocky, confident tone.

Running towards each other until they collided, the two opponents continued their brawl of fists and feet, her staff and his switchblade clashing with each other every now and then. Still determined to help her though, Patton clutched his side and began to crawl over towards the fight, continuing to ignore the pain in his side as he did. Noticing this, the young Supreme Leader Shooed Numbuh 48 Flavors's switchblade away with her staff and turned to face him, a concerned look clear in her eyes as she did.  
"Patton, stay back", she yelled out of desperation as the redhead slashed her right cheek, causing her to scream in pain and the raven haired boy to stare in shock and horror at this sight. He then kicked her to the ground and pinned, surprising Rachel and fueling Patton's determination to help her once more.

"Looks like it's the end of the line for you", Numbuh 48 Flavors said a cocky tone as he continued to sneer at her.

"Actually...I wouldn't count on it", she replied as she began to sneer at him, confusing her opponent.

"Let him have it", she replied in a stern tone that confused him once more. But before he could ask, the redhead boy found himself being picked up by the collar and pulled up. Upon realizing what was going on, he became shocked to find himself face to face with an almost smirking Nigel Uno.

"Hello Numbuh 48 Flavors. Here's a little something courtesy of the Kids Next Door", the British bald boy calmly said as he punched his fellow operative in the gut, sending him flying across the platform screaming as he did.

He flew over towards a grinning Hoagie, who attacked him in the back with his SPLANKER. This sent Numbuh 48 Flavors flying towards an angry looking Kuki, who caught him in her long sleeve covered

hands.

"Take this you big meanie", she screamed as she violently threw him into the air and down towards Wally, who swung him with a baseball bat over towards a stern looking Abby.

"He's all your girl", the spunky African American screamed out as she brutally kicked him over towards Alex, who caught him with her telekinesis as her eyes began to glow a menacing shade of pink.

"My friends went easy on you...but just because they did, doesn't mean I will", she replied in a low, angered tone as she violently flung him into one of the buildings. She then proceeded to violently fling him across the platform into another building and then finally telekinetically flung him to the ground in a violent rage. As he winced in pain on the ground, the mutant brunette aimed a ball of pink telekinetic energy at him in case he should attempt something, the rest of her team doing the same as they pulled out their 2x4 weapons as they circled him. At the same time, a now eye bandaged Fanny appeared to complete the circle, a wide smirk on her freckled face as she aimed her trusty MUSKET at him.

"Well, well, well, Numbuh 48 Flavors, I should have guessed", the Irish redhead replied in a snarly tone as she sneered at the rather surprised operative.

"But...But that's impossible", he replied. "How did-"

"Let's just say I decided to take my friends advice and decided to call them for help while you and Numbuh 60 were ducking it out", replied a voice that cut him off. Turning around, the surprised redhead turned around to see a cocky looking Rachel staring down at him. "Numbuh 86, you know what to do."

"Numbuh 48 Flavors", Fanny began in her shrill voice. "For threatening our leader and attackin' the Kids Next Door, I hear by sentence ye' ta' be scheduled for immediate decomissionin!"

"Immediate decommissioning", he screeched in disbelief.

"Take him away boys", fanny shouted as two Decommissioning Squad operatives ran out of her ship.

"No. no", Numbuh 48 Flavors screeched as the two operatives cuffed him, beginning to squirm and struggle as they began to take him towards the Irish redheads ship.

"You think it's over", he screeched at Rachel as he was hauled away. "You think you've won?! Well you haven't, because I'll be back!  
"And if not me, then someone else! Because son enough you'll be exposed for the wretched leader you are! No one will bow to you, no one will love you, no one will save you! You'll be disposed of and forgotten, just like every other incompetent leader in history", he screamed as Rachel stood there with a stern look on her face, taking in his hurtful words as he was hauled in the vehicle, never to be seen again. Shrugging off what he hd said to her, the young blonde then turned to face her friends with a reassuring look on her beautiful face.

"Thanks for coming just in time guys. I can't believe I'm saying this after refusing all your offers, but I couldn't have done it without you guys", the yung blonde happily replied.

"It's okay Rachel. Besides, we're always ready to be of service to you", Nigel genuinely replied as the rest of his sector nodded their heads in agreement.

"True. Although don't be expecting' us ta' come racin' te' help ya' at the last minute again anytime soon", the Irish redhead teased.

"I'll try to keep that in mind", Rachel playfully teased back. "How's your eye doing by the way?"

"Oh...the doctors said I need to keep the patch on for about another week", she began in a slightly melancholy tone. "But other than me' depth perception bein' a little wonky, my vision in this eye'll be fine.

"I'm glad to hear that", the young blonde replied in a sincere tone as her eyes glazed over. "Still though...I'm sorry you got hurt because of me...that all of you got hurt because of me..."

"Ah don't worry about it. Besides, we'd rather be the attacked while you're the target...ye' selfless dunce", Fanny replied in a very sincere tone. Touched by her friends words, Rachel immediately hugged her friend as a way of saying thank you. Although taken aback by this, the Irish redhead hugged her friend back as a gesture of saying you're welcome.

"Hey, where's Kuki", Wally asked in a concerned tone that alerted the rest of Sector V and their two superiors. After a panicky moment of looking around, the small group sighed in relief upon seeing Kuki happily cleaning and bandaging up Patton's wound.

"there, that should keep it nice and clean until we get you up to Global Command", the little Asian girl happily chirped.

"Thanks Numbuh 3", the raven haired boy replied as he flashed her a small smile at her.

"Oh, don't mention it", Kuki gleefully said as she blushed a light shade of pink, causing Wally to become slightly jealous as he watched this little scene.

"So Numbuh 362, do you want us to take Numbuh 60 back to MoonBase with us", Hoagie asked in a helpful tone.

"Thank Numbuh 2, but I'd rather take Patton up there myself", Rachel replied. "He and I have a lot to talk about..."

"Alright then, we understand. Come on guys, let's go", the sector leader ordered as he and his teammates began to walk back to the SCAMPER, devious grins plastered on their faces, for they all had a hunch as to what their leader meant.

"See ya' later", Fanny said to her friend.

"You too", the young blonde replied as she watched her friend walk back to her own ship. Once they were all inside, the two vehicles immediately took off and began to head straight for Global Command.

Once they were gone, the young blonde quickly ran over towards Patton. Collapsing to her knees, she took him into her arms and cradled him. Knowing she couldn't hold them back any longer, she allowed salty, hot tears to flow down from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes. Feeling his heart break as he continued to listen to her sobbing, the young Drill Sergeant wrapped his arms around her body in an attempt to comfort her.

"Shh...it's okay...", he whispered in a soothing tone. "It's all over...he can't harm you now..."

But even as she listened to his comforting words, tears ceased to fall from the young Supreme Leaders eyes as she continued to cry, her feelings towards the situation now mixed and confused.

End chap. 10


	11. Atonement

The infirmary corridor was quiet, quiet enough that i8t could be considered spooky. This was the thought that circled through Rachel's head as she walked through the dark corridor, her footsteps being the only visible sound present. But even in the dimly lit corridor, there were two noticeable things that stood out about her. One was the visible bandaged gash on her right cheek, and the other was the visible look of melancholy on her beautiful face as her mind drifted back to the guilt she felt over the whole situation involving Alpha. This look remained on her face as she came to stop and face the door leading to Room 119, the room she had been informed Patton was staying in.

After hesitating for a moment, the young blonde opened the door to the room to see Patton sitting on a stretcher, wearing a white shirt and pants. Upon seeing her enter, the raven haired boy flashed her a small but sincere smile. His smile not only caused Rachel to blush a light shade of pink, it also caused her to flash a smile back at him.

"Hey", he greeted in a low, almost flirtatious tone.

"Hey", she greeted in a low, melancholy tone. Walking into the room, she closed the door behind her and walked over to the infirmary bed, seating herself next to Patton as she did. After doing so, a long moment of silence then immediately plagued the room, one that was only broken once Rachel spoke up.

"So...how are you doing", she asked in a slightly nervous tone.

"Ah...I'm okay. I've been better though", he replied.

"Are you alright", the young Drill Sergeant asked as he began to gently stroke the cut on her cheek, silencing her. As he did, a small sigh escaped his lips as a look of regret became clear in his gentle black eyes.

"To think if I hadn't distracted you, you might not have this", he whispered in a tone of regret.

"It's alright...Besides, it's not like it will take long to heal", Rachel replied with a small smile as a moment of silence came upon them once more.

"Does it hurt", the young blonde innocently asked as she gently touched his wound, ending the silence. Upon feeling her soft fingers add pressure to the wound, he winced in pain, giving Rachel her answer as she breathed a deep sigh.

"Now you see why I didn't want you getting involved", she asked in a melancholy tone that caused him to sigh deeply.

"Rachel...I knew from the start what the consequences would be if I tried to help you...but even then I was willing to risk everything just to keep you safe", he calmly replied.

"Wait. So you knew the whole time what the consequences were, but you did it anyway", she asked.

"Yes, because I love you and because I knew you needed help", he replied. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes it's a problem", she began in an annoyed tone. "Because you almost got yourself killed for no reason! I was doming just fine when you showed up."

"He was a bout to kill you when I showed up" he replied rather ruthlessly. "You're lucky I showed u just in time before he could pierce that switchblade into you!"

"I would have preferred to have been hurt or even killed instead of you getting hurt or almost killed! You I can';t stand it when you put your life on the line so recklessly", she shouted, her building anger becoming more obvious by the second.

"Well I'm sorry you can't that about me, but at least I have enough courage to die for those who deserve better", he yelled back as a moment of silence came between them.

"Just don't ever do it again", she replied in a stern yet angered tone as she turned away, crossing her arms as she did.

"That's not really something you can turn into an order", he sternly replied. "but then again, if it were a rule, you probably wouldn't break it", he said, his sentence causing Rachel to turn and face him once more.

"Are you accusing me of being a hypocrite", she asked in a furious tone.

"I might as well", he yelled back. "You have a problem when I put my life on the line for others, and et you have no problem sacrificing yourself for other!"

"That's because it's different", she defensively yelled

"Hoe is it different", the raven haired boy angrily asked.

"Because I'm a leader" she yelled. A leader is supposed to sacrifice herself for the greater good of her people."

"But why", he angrily asked. "Why do you have to-"

"Because I can't be responsible for the deaths of other people", she screamed, causing Patton to stare in shock as a moment of silence came upon them. As it did, all Rachel could do was sigh as she tilted her head away from his gaze, a melancholy expression visible on her beautiful face as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry Patton...that's probably not the answer you wanted to hear", she replied in a melancholy yet saddened tone. " Sometimes I wish I could be more selfish...sometimes I wish I didn't have all this courage inside of me...Sometimes I wish I could be like everyone else...But then I see all these people...all these innocent people suffering pointlessly...and I just want tp protect them...That's my whole reason for being so selfless...that's my reason for wanting to be Supreme Leader...That's my reason for everything...But what good can protecting people as a leader do if all I do is screw up?...Numbuh 48Flavors was right about me..."

"Now he's not", Patton sternly replied. "You've got to remember that Numbuh 48Flavors is crazy."

"Yes he is", she screamed as she turned her gaze back towards him, surprising the raven haired boy.

"Patton...I'm a terrible leader", the young blonde continued in a stern yet shaky tone. "I've let me feelings and my beliefs get in the way of this organization, and I've run it into the ground on several occasions as a result. I thought I was protecting people...I thought I was doing good. But instead all I did was hurt innocent lives...and my operatives. I don't deserve to be a leader, I don't deserve to lead anything", she finished in the same tone as she tilted her head away from his gaze once more, allowing tears to fall from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes as she did.

"The Treaty incident...the Tag incident...the ZERO incident...I've screwed up so many times...but why has no one noticed...Why do I keep being forgiven...Why am I constantly being given opportunities for atonement that I don't deserve...", she asked herself in a rather melancholy tone as tears continued to run down her beautiful face. Suddenly though, she felt Patton rest his hand on her shoulder, not that she cared.  
"Because you're fair", he replied in a low, yet sincere tone, one that surprised her as she turned to face his gaze once more. "You don't treat us like we're inferior to you, you treat us like equals. You give us a second chance when we deserve one, you get on top of our mistakes, but most importantly, you give it your all yo protect us, just like you do with the people you swear to protect. That's why we can forgive you, that's why you're so loved as a leader...because you give us a chance."

"But having said that, you've got to remember that being a leader doesn't mean you're a god, you're still just a human. You're allowed to make mistakes", the raven haired boy said, his words now helping to surface a smile onto her face.

"And for the record, it was my fault that the Kids Next Door fell during the ZERO incident...I was the one who laughed at your defeat", he said in a tone of regret.

"True, but even then I sort of created my own downfall. I was the one who insisted on fighting you", the young blonde replied.

"Well if you knew that, then why did you fight me", he asked in a very confused tone.

"Because I thought I could buy Fanny and Numbuh 2 some time...and because I wanted to try and snap you out of it...if I could", she replied.

"How typical of you. Although...you could have spared me the guilt", the raven haired boy replied, his remark causing the young blonde to slightly chuckle at his joke.

"Speaking of which Patton, I have to ask. What Numbuh 48Flavors said back there, it sort of reminds me of that dream you had awhile back. What exactly does it mean", she innocently asked, causing him to cringe as he recalled the words his foe had said to him, words that revealed his hidden secret from ZERO incident he was still not sure how she'd react to. But knowing he couldn't not give her an explanation, the yung Drill Sergeant sighed as he turned to face her once more, prepared to give her an answer.

"It's like I said before Rachel...I did things...things that went against both our morals codes...And because I still don't know how you'll react I don't want to risk what I have with you...especially now because I've told you how I really feel about you...so please just wait awhile longer...I'll tell you when I'm ready", he replied. "Besides, right now I want to focus on you Rachel. I want to know...what's your next move?"

Upon hearing that question, the young blonde felt herself become confused, a look of surprise now apparent on her beautiful face as he continued to stare intently at her. Although not expecting that question, she began to think over what he had asked, wanting to give him the best answer possible. After a few minutes of silent thinking, the young Supreme Leader finally turned to face her friend, prepared to give him an answer.

"Well...up until this point I was seriously considering retiring from my position. But you're right, I'm just human, and I'm allowed to make mistakes. And with that and my passion to protect innocent people in mind, I will continue to lead the Kids Next Door wile seeking a way to make up for my past mistakes...that will be my atonement", the young Supreme Leader replied as a small smile formed on her beautiful face, causing him to flash one back at her.

"Great", the young Drill Sergeant replied as he gently put his strong hand on top of her soft hand. Then if I may ask...can I sort of help you lead the Kids Next Door", he sincerely asked, his question shocking her as silence incased the room.

"Thank you Patton, but I think it's best that you stay away from me in the future...along with everyone else", Rachel replied in a sincere tone.

"What? Why", he asked.

"Because I can't risk hurting anyone else! Patton, I understand that you and everyone else cares about me and wants to help protect me. But you must understand that I'd never forgive myself if I lost you, my friends, or anyone involved with the Kids Next Door", she replied. "Besides, being Supreme Leader is a solitary code of honor, one that requires strength and patience, as well as the ability to resist anything that may cloud my judgement. That's why I must surcome to the idea of isolation", she sternly continued.

"You can't avoid those closest to you ", Patton sternly replied.

"Well I can try", she sternly replied back.

"No you can't", he replied as he raised his voice to a tone of anger, surprising her.

"Look, I know you're scared of losing the ones you care about. But no matter what you do Rachel, Sector V, Numbuh 86 and I will always be looking out for you. Sure we may get battered and bruised, but we don't care...because we care about you...You've touched us, inspired us...and loved us in a way that we can never forget. And as a result...we can't stay away from you...I can't stay away from you...not when we love you in the ways that we do", he said in a low tone as she continued to stare at him, seemingly touched by his words.

"Look", he continued. "I'm not asking for you to promote me or anything...all I'm asking is that whenever you feel like your job is stressing you out, or there's something you're not sure on, or if you just need someone to blow off steam on, I want to be the person you come to when you need help or advice", he replied in a determined tone.

"I can't let you do that", Rachel replied.

"But Rachel-"

"Patton, please understand", she continued, cutting him off as she did.

"I can't allow anything to cloud my judgement...especially not these feelings I have for you...Besides, if anyone found out you were helping me, and you got hurt, and I lost you-"

"Rachel I don't care if I get hurt", Patton interrupted in a sincere tone. "I want to make you happy...I want to lessen your burden...I want to erase the loneliness in your heart..."

"Really", she asked as her voice slightly cracked.

"I meant every word I said to you Rachel...I'd never lie to you", he said in a low, yet sympathetic and romantic tone.

Upon hearing those words, Rachel felt herself become touched by her friends deep feelings and determination once more, so much so that she embraced him into an unexpected tight hug. At first, the raven haired boy was surprised by this action. But upon realizing that it was a hug out of gratefulness and acceptance towards his idea, the young Drill Sergeant couldn't help but smile as he embraced her right back, continuing the tender moment between them.

"Thank you Patton...thank you", she whispered as tears of joy escaped from her beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

"The pleasure's all mine", he whispered as they broke their embrace, becoming lost in each others eyes immediately afterwards as if the moment had never ended.

"You know I was thinking. Now that we're going to be working together more often, I think it's only fair that we realize we make our relationship official" Patton replied in a devious tone, one that caused Rachel to immediately realize what he meant.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I'd love to, but with us in the positions we're in, it would be impossible. I mean there's so many rules, so many regulations, and so many risks. As much as I'd love to say those three words to you...I'm not prepared to take the risks."

"Alright", he replied in a devious tone as he gently pressed his forehead up against her soft one, causing her to blush a light shade of pink. "I can wait until you're ready. Besides...knowing how you feel's enough for me for now. After all...you are the one who made the first move."

Upon hearing those words, Rachel did nothing more than smile deviously as he leaned in and delivered a short, but loving kiss to her lips, one she accepted wholeheartedly. Upon breaking their liplock, the young couple put the worst behind them.

A leader is constantly defined by acts of courage or cowardice often overlooked by the general public. However, a leader is defined not by what is required of their job, but more so the decisions they make and enact upon those who follow them. Wether or not people agree with a leaders vision is their decision to choose, but a leader cannot truly be judged by the present generation, they can only be judged by the future generation. And like all other leaders before her, this young girl can only be judged by operatives to come. True, she may be fragile, but her strong personality and passion for justice will surely earn her a rightful place in the hall of Kids Next Door fame. Not just among future generations, but also amongst the present generation of operatives who have come to love her.

The End


End file.
